Tag Archives: New Testament

Ephesians 3:8-10

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To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

This commentary is going to be a little longer than most because I want to cover the entire sentence that runs from verse 8 all the way through verse 10. I would suggest reading these verses a couple of times to get the flow of Paul’s logic, and then read through this commentary on those verses. You can spread your study over several days, but I didn’t want my comments to be broken up mid-sentence.

Paul is going to explain an amazing truth that has been given to him to explain. He begins by demonstrating his humility, calling himself the very least of all the saints. That’s saying something, isn’t it. Here is a highly educated Jewish leader, chosen by God to write a large portion of the New Testament, and he calls himself the least of all the saints.

What is the message he is to preach? He is going to proclaim the good news of the fathomless riches of Christ. A fathom is a measurement of depth of the ocean. Fathomless means there is no way to measure the depths of the riches of Christ. There is so much wealth there, it is impossible to get to the bottom of it.

By the way, he calls the opportunity to proclaim this good news, grace. In other words, he counts it as an undeserved gift of God to be able to declare this message.

What else is involved in this declaration? He says in verse 9 that he is going to bring to light something that has been hidden for ages. That’s what a mystery is in the New Testament. Where has this plan been hidden? It has been hidden in God who created all things. So what is Paul claiming? He is claiming that there is something that has been hidden in God Himself since before creation, and now he, Paul, is going to explain what that plan is. How does he know the plan? Verse 3 told us that it was given to him by revelation. God told him!

The question is, “Why?”. Why is this plan being made known now, and why to Paul? Verse 10 answers that question. So that the multi-faceted wisdom of God might be revealed and made known. To whom, Paul? Who are the recipients of this picture of the manifold wisdom of God?

The answer to that question is the principalities and powers. The rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Wait a minute! Isn’t it the rulers and authorities that we wrestle against? “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12.

So, let me see if I understand this. In the wisdom of God, He revealed this mystery to Paul so that the principalities and powers of the universe would see and know the amazing wisdom of God!

And through what means is this knowledge to be transmitted to the principalities and powers? Through the church! The church is God’s instrument through the preaching of the gospel and through lives transformed by the power of God — transformed from rebellious traitors to Christ-like followers — the principalities and powers, who have been warring against God since the beginning, will see how amazing God is!

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:17 AM December 3, 2020.

Ephesians 3:7

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Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.

In verse 6, Paul had said that Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. How is that possible? Through the gospel.

Now in verse 7, Paul says that he was made a minister of that gospel. That means he is a steward or caretaker of it. His life is involved with serving the cause of the gospel.

How did he come to this position? He tells us that it came as a result of the gift of God’s grace. In other words, he was given this service through no merit if his own, but only because God decided to give it to him.

But, this isn’t an easy thing to be taken for granted. It was given by the working (energizing) of God’s power.

So let’s make sure we have the picture. Paul was a Jewish leader, stridently against the teachings of Christians. God met him on the road to Damascus and turned his life around. Then out of sheer grace and with the almighty power of the spirit of God, God handed him this work of service of the gospel. This message essentially told Gentiles they were in. Believe the gospel and you’re in.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:40 AM November 24, 2020.

Ephesians 3:6

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This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

So what is the mystery we have been talking about? Paul explains it in verse 6. The mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

In the Old Testament, God had made unconditional promises to Abraham and his seed. And, as we learn in other places in Paul’s writings, Christ is that seed, and those who trust Christ are heirs together of the promise. (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:7-9; Galatians 3:29) That is what Paul is alluding to here in verse 6.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:27 AM November 24, 2020.

Ephesians 3:4-5

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When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

Paul has been writing about the mystery that was given to him by revelation. In verse 4 he tells his readers that they will understand the insight he has into this mystery as they read his letter to them.

This mystery had not been revealed to any of the previous generations of people, but God had chosen to reveal it to the generation during and shortly after the life of Christ.

The revelation of the mystery was given specifically to the apostles and prophets. These are men who were specifically selected by God to be the recipients of this mystery. The revelation came through the work of the Holy Spirit.

It’s important to note that Paul had formerly opposed any teaching related to the gospel of Christ. He had tortured, imprisoned, and killed many of Jesus’ followers. And yet, here he is, sticking his neck out, so to speak, in order to claim that he was one of those who was the recipient of this message. That is an amazing conversion!

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:21 AM November 24, 2020.

Ephesians 3:1-3

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For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

Chapter 3 begins with “For this reason….” To find the reason, we go back to the previous chapter. He has just been discussing the fact that Jew and Gentile have been brought together into one body which is growing into a holy temple, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul goes on to say that he is a prisoner on behalf of the Gentiles. God had given him this ministry. Paul was a Jew, but his ministry was to the Gentiles. This was actually a difficult assignment.

He then goes on in verse 2 to say that a stewardship of God’s grace had been given to him. A stewardship is a responsibility. A steward managed the affairs of the master’s house. Paul had been given the truth about the grace of God that had been hidden, but was now being revealed. He was to guard and manage this truth of the grace of God so that it was transmitted completely and carefully to the Gentiles.

He explains in verse 3 how this mystery was made known to him by revelation. Paul writes in Galatians 1:11, 12: “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” He presumably received this revelation in Arabia, according to Galatians 1:17.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:18 AM November 24, 2020.

Ephesians 2:20-22

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built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

In verse 20, Paul continues from verse 19 where he had said Gentiles are now fellow citizens and members of the household of God.

This household, of which we are a part, has been built on a foundation. What is that foundation? The apostles and prophets. They came before us and laid the foundation for us. And more than that, the cornerstone, or capstone, is none other than Jesus Christ.

With Christ the center-supporting piece of the foundation, the whole superstructure is built up in Him.

And has the structure is built piece by piece, member by member, it is joined together. (Colossians 2:19 speaks of it being knit together.) The whole body of Christ is knit, joined, united together and what? It grows. God is building His church. It is growing as new people believe and are joined to the body.

And what is it becoming? It is becoming a holy temple in the Lord. What is a temple. It is the place where God Himself lives and is worshipped.

Verse 22 continues the thought. This is not just theoretical about hypothetical people being joined to the body. Verse 22 says, “In him you also….”

You. Yes, you! If you are a believer, you have been knit into the body that is a dwelling place for God by the Spirit! Think about that. A dwelling place of God.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:44 AM November 17, 2020.

Ephesians 2:19

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So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God

As a result of all that has been said, we Gentiles are no longer strangers and aliens.

I think part of what keeps us from grasping the immensity of this is the fact that we don’t understand how great was our distance from God. We were outside the promises. We had no hope and were without God. I’m not just speaking of the time in our life before we came to Christ. I mean in the whole history of the world prior to the coming of Christ, Gentiles were outside. There was no access to God for them. The covenants of promise said nothing to them until Christ came and the mystery of the Gospel was revealed.

So, we are no longer strangers and aliens, but 1) fellow citizens with the saints, and 2) members of the household of God. When we trust Christ by faith, we are in — we are citizens, not aliens. We are in the family!

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:38 AM November 17, 2020.

Ephesians 2:17-18

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And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Let’s take a look now at verses 17 and 18 which continue the thought from the previous verses.

And he came. Jesus came and preached peace to you who were far off. He is speaking here of Gentiles who were outside the covenants of promise and without hope. Christ has preached peace to us. He has also preached peace to those who are near. To the Jews. He is still speaking of the fact that the barrier between the two has been broken down such that there is peace with God and peace between these two groups.

Verse 18 begins with “for.” Why is there peace? Because through Christ we both have access. Both Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father. How? Through the one Spirit. There is only one Spirit (Eph 4:4). And through that one Spirit, we, who were far off, have been given access to God the Father. Amazing!

Both Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way, just as Peter states in Acts 15:11: “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [the Jews] shall be saved in the same manner as they [the Gentiles].”

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:57 AM November 16, 2020.

Ephesians 2:14-16

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For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

(We’ll include verse 15 and 16 in this post.) Jesus Christ is our peace. He is the one who is bringing Jews and Gentiles together to make one new man. Jesus has broken down the wall that separated the two.

Verse 15 says that the wall is the enmity. The wall is the thing that makes Jews and Gentiles natural enemies of one another. What is that wall? It is the law of commandments contained in ordinances. What Christ has done is to release all of us from the law so that whether Jew or Gentile, we are saved by faith in Christ the Messiah. He is creating one new man. Don’t minimize the importance of this. The one new man is the body of Christ. Each individual member, whether Jew or Gentile is baptized into that body and given gifts to function within the body of Christ and thus blessing the world and bringing glory to God.

Our passage tells us that in breaking down this barrier, Jesus is making peace.

Verse 16 goes on with this theme. By abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, he created peace, but also reconciled both to God. Both of whom? Both Jew and Gentile. God has killed the hostility by bringing both Jew and Gentile together with one access to God, the access that comes from faith. The requirements of the law have been satisfied in Christ and therefore each one of us can come to God by faith in Him.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:38 PM November 10, 2020.

Ephesians 2:11-12

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Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Since God has prepared for the works that we should do, we are to remember something. Verse 11 begins with “therefore.”

Therefore remember. We should remember that at one time in history, before the good news came to the Gentiles, we were called uncircumcision by the Jews. In other words, we were excluded from the promises of God as he explains in verse 12. Look at the words he uses here: separated from Christ, Alienated from the people of God, strangers (excluded) from the covenants, having no hope and without God.

That is the dire situation Gentiles were in up until the time Christ came and His apostles announced that the mystery was being revealed that Gentiles were to be included in the covenants God was making with His people.

This had been an entirely hopeless situation. Without hope and without God! And remember, we are talking about the way things actually work in God’s plan. Before Christ, Gentiles all over the world were excluded, not just from attending some event. They were excluded from participating in the life of God’s people and enjoying the benefits of God’s promises, and without God. A few Gentiles became part of God’s people, but very few.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:42 AM November 9, 2020.