Ephesians · chapter 3 of 6
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Ephesians 3 explains the mystery made known to Paul: the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel. Paul presents himself as the least of all the saints, charged with preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ, and prays that believers be strengthened by the Spirit, know the love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of God. He ends with a doxology.
After showing in chapter 2 that Jews and Gentiles form one temple, Paul explains how that plan was revealed and what role he plays in it. Ephesians 3 combines an exposition of the mystery of the gospel with one of the deepest prayers of the New Testament.
Paul calls himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of the Gentiles and recalls that he received by revelation the stewardship of God's grace for them. The mystery that was not made known in other generations, but has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, is this: the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Paul was made a minister of that gospel by the gift of God's grace, and he considers himself the very least of all the saints. His task is to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone the stewardship of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things. So through the church the manifold wisdom of God is now made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose he realized in Christ, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence. Therefore he asks them not to lose heart over his sufferings for them, which are their glory.
Then Paul bows his knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, and prays that according to the riches of his glory he may grant them to be strengthened with power in the inner being through his Spirit, that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith, and that, rooted and grounded in love, they may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, length, height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so as to be filled with all the fullness of God.
He closes with a doxology: to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. It is the revealed mystery: the union of Jews and Gentiles in one people.
Through the church the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. The church is a visible witness to God's plan, not a mere organization.
Paul asks that Christ dwell in their hearts through faith, that they be rooted in love and able to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge. It is about experiencing a love too great to be fully understood.
God is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. It encourages us to pray with confidence, knowing that his ability exceeds our imagination.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: A prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of the Gentiles. — Ephesians 3:1
Answer: That the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel. — Ephesians 3:6
Answer: As the very least of all the saints, given the grace to preach the riches of Christ. — Ephesians 3:8
Answer: To the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. — Ephesians 3:10
Answer: To dwell in them. — Ephesians 3:17
Answer: Far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. — Ephesians 3:20
Ephesians 3 invites us to look at the church with new eyes. Though at times it seems weak or divided, it is where God shows his wisdom. In a small group you can ask what makes your community reflect the unity of different people and what could improve.
Paul's prayer is also a model for asking for what is essential: inner power, Christ in the heart, roots in love. A teacher can pray this way for his students. And the closing doxology reminds us that we do not pray to a limited God: we can ask boldly and expect more than we imagine, always for his glory.
Ephesians 3 closes the first half of the letter, centered on what God has done, with a prayer and a hymn of praise. In chapter 4, Paul will turn to practical life and urge believers to walk in a manner worthy of their calling.
It is not something puzzling but a truth that was hidden and that God has revealed in Christ. Here the mystery is that the Gentiles share in the promises on equal terms with the Jews. The Old Testament already announced blessing for the nations, but it had not been seen how it would come about.
Paul plays on the words father and family: every family in heaven and on earth, that is, every group of created beings, has its origin in God. The text does not specify which families it means, but it stresses that God's fatherhood is the source of all unity.
Paul does not say what each dimension measures. Many understand it as the immensity of the love of Christ, so great that no measure contains it. What matters is that believers know it together, with all the saints, and not merely intellectually.