Why I Read Commentaries: John Stott on Ephesians 3:18

Reading commentaries can be a great way to grow in our knowledge of (and love for!) God and His Word.  I was recently reminded of the value of reading commentaries in this excerpt on Ephesians 3:17-18 from John Stott's God's New Society: The Message of Ephesians (InterVarsity, 1979), p. 137:

• “…the love of Christ is 'broad' enough to encompass all mankind (especially Jews and Gentiles, the theme of [Ephesians 2-3]), 'long' enough to last for eternity, 'deep' enough to reach the most degraded sinner, and 'high' enough to exalt him to heaven. / We shall have power to comprehend these dimensions of Christ's love, Paul adds, only with all the saints.  The isolated Christian can indeed know something of the love of Jesus.  But his grasp of it is bound to be limited by his limited experience.  It needs the whole people of God to understand the whole love of God, all the saints together, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, young and old, black and white, with all their varied backgrounds and experiences.  

Looking for some good Bible study helps for yourself?  Check out BestCommentaries.com for some good commentaries, or check out some online Bible Study helps and a list of helpful theological resources I've highlighted on this site!