Ephesians 3

CHAPTER 3

 

Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles (3:1-13)

1-2 Paul calls himself a prisoner, because he is writing this letter while imprisoned in a Roman jail. He was a prisoner for the sake of you Gentiles, he tells the Ephesians. It was because of his preaching to Gentiles that Paul had been imprisoned.

In another sense, Paul was a “prisoner” of Jesus Christ whether he was in jail or not. He had made Jesus the ruler and Lord of his life at all times and in all places.

Paul’s special work was to preach to the Gentiles (see Acts 22:21; Romans 15:1516). Paul had received a special administration of God’s grace to do this work (verse 2).

3 Here again Paul talks about the mystery that had been revealed to him, and which he has mentioned already in Ephesians 1:9-10; namely, the “mystery” that God will one day unite all things in Christ. In Ephesians Chapter 2, Paul has shown how Jews and Gentiles have already been united in Christ. Paul did not learn of this mystery from any man; rather, the mystery was made known to him by revelation directly from God.

4 After reading Ephesians Chapters 1-2, the Ephesians would surely know that Paul did indeed have insight into what this mystery was all about. This mystery was the mystery of Christ: namely, that Christ is the head over everything (Ephesians 1:22), and that in Christ Jews and Gentiles are now united in one body, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13,27; Ephesians 2:1617; 3:6).

5  This mystery was not made known to men in other generations. That is, this mystery of Christ was not revealed to the people who lived before Christ’s time. Only when Christ came to earth was the mystery fully revealed to God’s holy apostles and prophets.¹⁴ The mystery was revealed to them by the (Holy) Spirit.

6  Here Paul states again what the mystery is: Gentile believers have become heirs together … members together … and sharers together with Israel, with the Jews (see Ephesians 2:19 and comment). Jewish and Gentile believers have become one in Christ; they are equal in God’s sight. This means that in God’s sight there is no high caste and low caste, high class and low class. The Jews considered the Gentiles “low caste” and themselves “high caste.” But now, in Christ, there are no castes; all have become one.

The Gentiles are heirs together with Israel. This means that, together with the Jews, they are fellow citizens of God’s kingdom. Now the Gentiles have a part in the covenant that God established with Israel. According to that covenant, the Jews were supposed to worship and obey God, and in return God would make them His special people. Now believers in Christ—both Jew and Gentile—have become God’s special people.

The Gentiles are members together of one body. This means that Gentile believers, together with Jewish believers, are members of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27).

The Gentiles are sharers together in the promise—that is, the promise of salvation through faith in Christ. God had promised the Jews that He would send a Savior to them. But when the Savior (Christ) finally came, most Jews rejected Him; therefore, God made Christ’s saving work available to the Gentiles through faith. In this way, the Gentiles became sharers in the promise of salvation.

7 Paul was made a servant of the gospel by the gift of God’s grace and by the working of his (God’s) power. All of us who believe in Christ and obey Him have, like Paul, been made servants of the Gospel through the grace and power of God. God has given us all the grace we need to be His servants. We need to ask ourselves: “Whose servant am I? Who do I spend most of my time serving? How much do I love my master Christ and His Gospel?”

8 Paul does not exalt himself. If Paul were to appear among us today, he would surely say: “I am less than the least of you.”

The special work that God gave Paul to do was this: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Christ’s spiritual riches are unsearchable—without limit and without number! These unsearchable riches are the same as the spiritual blessings that Paul mentioned in Ephesians 1:3 (see Colossians 1:24-27).

When we are talking with our friends and neighbors, do we ever tell them about the unsearchable riches of Christ? Do we tell them about the riches of his glorious inheritance? (Ephesians 1:18). Or about his incomparably great power? (Ephesians 1:19). Have we ourselves received these riches? Or are we like the guest invited to a great banquet who sits down at the table but does not eat?

The men of the world seek after riches that spoil; but we have found riches that will last forever. Should we not tell others about these riches?

Sometimes we act as if we had no spiritual riches at all! We say, “What can we do? Our church is so poor and weak.” Poor and weak? How can that be? Each church possesses the unsearchable riches of Christ; it possesses His incomparably great power! We have enough spiritual wealth and power to share with everyone; our supply is infinite!

What are the riches of Christ we have to share? They include all of His grace and gifts and spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3), together with His Gospel of salvation, which is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). But the greatest thing we have to share is Christ Himself; He is the sum of all spiritual blessings (see Romans 8:32).

9 Together with preaching to the Gentiles, Paul was appointed by God to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery. Before Christ’s time, this mystery had been kept hidden, but now at last it was revealed (verse 5). As we have seen before, the mystery was that God was going to bring all things under Christ (Ephesians 1:10). That involved creating a new spiritual people, the church, of which all men on earth can be members through faith in Christ. This, then, is God’s eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (verse 11).

10 What was God’s intention in revealing this mystery? His intention was to show His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. These “rulers and authorities” include both angels and evil spirits (see Ephesians 2:2).

And how will God show His wisdom to these rulers and authorities? He will do it through the church. Think of it! Through every little church, God is showing forth His manifold wisdom to all the rulers and authorities in heaven! In the church, God’s wisdom can be seen not only by men but also by angels and spirits—even by Satan himself. The church, which is Christ’s body, has overcome the authority of Satan.

11-12 God’s eternal purpose is that all people—both Jew and Gentile—might enter with boldness into His presence and become members of His family, the church (see Hebrews 4:16; 10:19-22 and comments).

Let us think about this church. The church is the most important thing in the world, because it is the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose. Second only to Christ’s death and resurrection, the establishing of Christ’s church has been (and continues to be) the most significant development in the history of mankind.

Historians of the world write about kings and queens, ministers and noblemen and other famous people. But Bible historians¹⁵ write about common and ordinary people like us.

Historians of the world write about wars, peace treaties, and then more wars. But Bible historians write about the war between Christ and Satan—the war between good and evil—a war which was won by Christ. And in the Bible we read about the greatest “peace treaty” of all, the peace treaty between God and man, which was mediated by Jesus Christ.

Historians of the world write about kingdoms which rise and fall like the sun. But Bible historians write about a spiritual kingdom, which is always rising and will never fall. This kingdom has no boundary; it extends throughout the world. This kingdom is the church of Christ.

13 Even though Paul is in jail, the Ephesians should not be discouraged. Rather, they should meditate on the unsearchable riches of Christ, which is their glory.

Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
(3:14-21)

14-15 The whole family in heaven and on earth—that is, the whole family of believers, which is the church—takes its name from God the Father. The church is God’s family, so it takes God’s name.

Since the church is God’s family, Paul prays here to the Father of the family. Paul’s prayer is that God will strengthen the Ephesians through his Spirit in [their] inner being (verse 16), and that Christ may dwell in [their] hearts through faith (verse 17). And, of course, as we read this prayer, we must keep in mind that it is written not only for the Ephesians, but also for us.

16 The strength for which Paul is praying here is spiritual strength. This kind of strength is always inward, in a person’s heart, in his inner being; and it comes only through [God’s] Spirit. This strength is the mighty strength that Paul mentioned in Ephesians 1:19, and which Paul himself continually experienced (Philippains 4:13).

17 The second part of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is that Christ (that is, Christ’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit) might dwell in their hearts. When Christ dwells in our hearts, we become more and more like Him. Through Christ’s Spirit within us, our hearts are filled with His love (see Romans 5:5).

18 If Christ dwells within us, we indeed shall be rooted and established in love. We shall be like a tree, whose roots are implanted in love. Or we shall be like a house, whose foundation is embedded in love. Paul prays that the Ephesians might understand how great—how wide and long and high and deep—Christ’s love is. Christ’s love is wide enough to embrace all men. His love is long enough to last forever. It is deep enough to reach down to the lowest sinner. And it is high enough to lift that sinner up to heaven.

The cross is the greatest sign of Christ’s love. The horizontal beam of the cross reaches from the East to the West. The upright post of the cross reaches from earth to heaven. The love of Christ is great enough to reach everyone everywhere.

19 Paul here prays that the Ephesians might not only understand how great Christ’s love is, but that they might also know this love—that is, that they might experience this love in their lives. Christ’s love (God’s love) is so great that it surpasses knowledge. However, we can each experience this love in our hearts. And having experienced it, we shall be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

What is it like to be filled with all the fullness of God? The fullness of God includes every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3); it includes the riches of his glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18); it includes His incomparably great power (Ephesians 1:19); it includes His unsearchable riches (verse 8). Finally, it includes His great love, which He has poured out into our hearts by His Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). And if Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, all this—all the fullness of God—will be ours!

Let it be our constant prayer for our church and for each other that we might be continuously filled with all the fullness of God. Let us not limit our prayers to small things; rather, let us, like Paul, pray for the greatest thing it is possible to imagine—the fullness of God!

What an amazing prayer Paul has prayed for the Ephesians—and for us! He has prayed for strength, for love, for knowledge, for all the fullness of God. Can God answer a prayer like that? Does God have the power to fulfill such a prayer? He certainly does! (see verse 20).

20-21 God’s power is great enough to do anything we can ask. Not only that, God can do more than we can even imagine. And this same power of God is at work within us (verse 20). Just as God’s love is beyond our knowledge (verse 19), so His power is beyond our imagining. Infinite love; infinite power. How great is our God! He is worthy of infinite praise! To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

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