Ephesians 3:17 (ASV)

Passage

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Nearby Context

Ephesians 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

Ephesians 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;

Ephesians 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Ephesians 3:18 may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

Ephesians 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "christ", "dwell", "hearts", "through", "rooted", "grounded", and "love". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "christ", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "that he would grant you according to..." into verse 18's "may be strong to apprehend with all...", so "faith" and "christ" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.