Ephesians chapter 3

Vs. 1…Although God had made a provision for the Gentiles to be saved through Israel in prophecy; They were “strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). Consequently, the history of the Gentiles is one of ruin. When a nation stood in the path of Israel returning to the Promised Land, God destroyed them.

For those who may be wondering why God dealt so harshly with the nations, it must be remembered that these heathen had given themselves over to unspeakable abominations. They were guilty of sacrificing their little ones to pagan gods, gross immorality, sodomy and other perversions. In addition, each of these nations was riddled with disease. This helps us understand why Israel burned everything. (Josh. 6:24; 8:28) Surely, this should give us a deeper appreciation of the grace of God, for Paul says: “But now in Christ Jesus ye [Gentiles] who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). And who had God sent to the Gentiles to tell them about this good news? Paul. He is the apostle of the Gentiles. Paul was the first to tell us how God is saving Gentiles, as Gentiles, by His grace.

Vs. 2…Perhaps one of the most interesting characteristics of this dispensation is the silence of God. In prophecy, this meant that God was displeased with Israel. However, today, God is declaring grace and peace. He has reconciled the world to Himself, not imputing their sins unto them. God is giving all men everywhere an opportunity to be saved. Evil is running rampant in our streets. Why, doesn’t God do something? Look at Hitler, he murdered six million innocent Jews in the Holocaust. Why, didn’t God rain fire down from heaven on this ungodly dictator? But what Hitler did pales by comparison to the evil deeds of Stalin who murdered twenty million under his regime. Yet, they say, he died peacefully in his sleep. A day of reckoning is coming. While the sins of those who commit such wickedness are not being imputed at this time, they are reserved for the day of vengeance (Rom. 2:5,6). Wicked men may think that they have gotten away with murder, so to speak, but God will remember at the judgment to come. (Rev. 21:8)

Paul never considered himself a prisoner of Rome. Rather, he had been apprehended of Christ on the road to Damascus. The chains that bound him that fateful day were chains of love. Paul was a firm believer in the providence of God—he saw the things that had happened to him as the hand of God. This is clearly exhibited in his words to the saints at Philippi: “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the
gospel. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places” (Phil. 1:12,13). In other words, had the apostle not been wrongly accused at the hands of his countrymen in Jerusalem, he probably would have never been incarcerated in Rome. Paul viewed this as the permissive will of God which enabled him to carry the gospel to a place it may have never reached otherwise. As a result, the infamous Praetorian guard was introduced to Christ, and some of Caesar’s own house became members of the household of God (Phil. 4:22). Needless to say, the apostle’s confinement at Rome temporarily suspended his missionary travels. But even in this the Lord had a purpose. With the saints now grounded in grace, the time had come to bring them into a fuller knowledge of the revelation of the Mystery. This could best be accomplished through the written page. Therefore Paul began an extensive writing ministry during the years of his imprisonment which is still producing fruits to this day. These writings include: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and I & II Timothy. These epistles bring us to the very heights of grace truth.

Vs. 3-4…The Revelation of the Mystery to some is just that, a mystery. They couldn’t define it if their life depended upon it. While the joint Body is an essential part of our message, it is only one in a series of doctrines which make up the Mystery. The Mystery, then, is a divine program which introduces us to the heavenly ministry of Christ (Eph. 1:19-23). But why is a knowledge of it so important? First and foremost, the Mystery unfolds God’s plans and purposes for the Church, the Body of Christ—it is His will, and every child of God should desire to have a knowledge of His will (Col. 1:9,10,25,26).

Notice that the Mystery or the gospel of the grace of God was committed to Paul. Since this message was “hid in God” from the beginning of the world, it necessitated a direct revelation from Him. Thus, the Lord appeared supernaturally to Paul on the road to Damascus. This was only the beginning of thirty years of revelations the apostle would receive regarding the doctrines of grace. The Mystery is found exclusively in Paul’s epistles. And until the Church submits itself to this indisputable fact, it will be forever “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight [trickery] of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14). Every preacher who claims to have had a vision, heal the sick, or says that Old Testament prophecy is being fulfilled today, is a case in point.

The two great revelators of Holy Scripture are Moses and Paul. God dispensed the law to Moses; therefore, he was the Lord’s spokesman under the old economy. For example, he says to a new generation preparing to enter the Promised Land: “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord
your God which I command you” (Deut. 4:1,2). Notice the frequent usage of personal pronouns in the phrases “I teach you,” “I command you”. To some it may sound like Moses was an egomaniac. On more than one occasion he was charged with taking too much upon himself. In other words, who did he think he was to tell the children of Israel what to do! People do the same thing today about Paul.

In Ephesians chapter one, the apostle states that God has “made known unto us the Mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself.” The Mystery of His will simply means that we are included in God’s eternal plans and purposes. (Eph. 1:9-12) Here in Ephesians chapter three, the phrase “as I wrote afore in few words” is referring back to Paul’s comments in chapter one in addition to Romans 16:25. As the apostle continues his train of thought, he gives us a fuller picture of the various aspects of the revelation of the Mystery. “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the Mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:4). By this point in time Paul was well-grounded in the message of Grace. However, the Ephesians were still being established in the faith. Consequently, the apostle wanted them to more fully understand the significance of the “Mystery of Christ,” that is, the Body of Christ.

Vs. 5…Not until the Apostle Paul did God see fit to reveal the secret of the Body of Christ. “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs and of the same Body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel”. God is saving individual Jews and Gentiles out of the nations, thus forming a new entity called the joint-Body. Just as the members of our physical body are joined together, the members of Christ’s Body also bear a relationship with one another. If you fall and crack a rib, the pain greatly limits your ability to move. In like fashion, if a child of God falls from grace, it sends shock waves through the other members who are close to the fallen member.

Those of the Acts 2 persuasion argue that the Mystery was made known to ages and generations past, but not as fully as it is now revealed to his apostles and prophets. In other words, Paul was not the first to receive it. They base this conclusion on Ephesians 3:5. The passage has two possible interpretations:
1. The Mystery was revealed prior to Paul, but not as (comparative) fully as it is today.
2. The Mystery was not revealed to ages and generations past as (contrastive) it is today through Paul’s gospel.
Who is to say which one is correct? We are reminded of the thought-provoking words of Elijah: “How long halt ye between two opinions?” The solution lies in the answer to the question, “What saith the Lord?” The following passages prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the “as” is used in the contrastive sense:“Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my [Paul’s] gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the Mystery, which has been KEPT SECRET since the world began” (Rom. 16:25). “If you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me [Paul] to youward: how that by revelation He made known unto me the Mystery....And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been HID in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:2,9).

So then, while Paul received the Mystery by direct revelation from the Lord, the apostles and prophets, and those since, have received it through the illumination of the Spirit (Gal. 1:11,12 cf. Eph. 3:5). A knowledge of this glorious message is only obtainable through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.

Vs. 6…The apostle adds that we are partakers of “His promise in Christ by the gospel.” I believe that this too is another unique characteristic of the Mystery that was committed to Paul. Namely, that the Gentiles would be given the free gift of eternal life, in spite of the nation Israel. Paul says to Titus: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2). But to whom did the Father make this promise? Undoubtedly, He made it to Himself. Probably everyone has made a promise to themselves at one time or another in their life. Although men, for one reason or another, sometimes fail to fulfill their promises, God cannot lie (Num. 23:19). If He has promised to give us eternal life, we have the full assurance that He will honor His Word.

“Mr. Watson, come here; I want you.” These were the first words ever spoken over an invention called the telephone. Of course, the inventor who uttered this famous phrase was Alexander Graham Bell. Bell had devoted his entire life to helping the deaf to speak. Both his mother and wife were deaf, which inspired him in his lifelong work. On a cool Boston evening in March 1876, the first sentence was successfully transmitted by telephone. Alexander Graham Bell’s historic words were spoken to his assistant, Thomas Watson. Little did Mr. Bell realize that his discovery was to revolutionize the field of communications. Although this event was a major turning point in history, it pales in comparison to the discovery of the manifold wisdom of God. This is the greatest discovery of all!

Vs. 7… What logical explanation then can we give for Paul’s apostleship? Before the foundation of the world, God foreordained that He would raise up a new apostle to reveal His eternal purpose for the age of Grace in which we now live. Paul says: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen [Gentiles]” (Gal. 1:15,16). When God rolled up the building plans of prophecy and temporarily placed them aside, He made known a secret set of plans. According to the counsel of His will, He had predetermined to call Paul as the masterbuilder of the project. So then, the instructions for our building program are found in Paul’s epistles. Little wonder the apostle says: “I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (I Cor. 3:10). It is essential to use Pauline construction materials (grace doctrines), simply because someday soon the Building Inspector will examine our workmanship. This helps us understand the apostle’s statement here in Ephesians, that he was “made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me.” He was given the gift of grace according to the effectual working of His power to carry out this divine commission. Paul says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Why? “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (I Cor. 2:5). Paul clearly understood that everything he had accomplished for Christ was not due to his own ability, but to the grace of God.

Vs. 8-9…Paul calls the message he preached among the Gentiles the unsearchable or untraceable riches of Christ. In other words, the doctrines of Grace taught by Paul are untraceable in the Prophetic Scriptures.

Where do you find these Pauline teachings in Genesis through Acts 9 or Hebrews through Revelation?
• Israel set aside in unbelief;
• the Church, the Body of Christ made up of Jews and Gentiles without distinction;
• commission of reconciliation;
• justification on the basis of grace alone through faith alone;
• terms of salvation—Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection presented as good news;
• our spiritual baptism into Christ by the Holy Spirit;
• blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies; seated with Christ in the heavenlies; a heavenly hope and calling;
• the Pretribulational Rapture;

This brings us to our responsibility as members of the Body of Christ. We are to “make all men see what is the fellowship [oikonomia—dispensation] of the Mystery.” We are to open our mouth boldly to preach Christ according to the Mystery, placing special emphasis on His heavenly ministry. Great care must be taken to distinguish between law and grace, Israel and the Body, Christ’s earthly kingdom and His heavenly kingdom, etc. Many Christians fear the retaliation of the Christian community if they defend Paul’s gospel. But are we serving God or men? Whether or not we stand for this message, God has given us a knowledge of His will; therefore, we are ultimately responsible to make it known, and we will be judged accordingly.

Most Christian leaders seem to think that their responsibility is to provide programs and entertainment for the congregation. They reason that this will draw larger crowds, which is an indication of God’s blessing. Numbers do not necessarily indicate God’s blessing. In fact, God often passed by the multitudes and did His greatest work among small groups of saints who were obedient (Matt. 13:2,10-17; Acts 1:15; Col. 4:15).

The Mystery was hid in the mind of God. When God revealed His secret purposes, the angels of heaven were astonished and Satan and his host were dumbfounded “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:33).

Interestingly, Paul reminds us that the Mystery was hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. This is significant for this reason: We are taken back to creation to refresh our memory that, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” He has a program for the earth and Christ’s reign upon it. And He also has a plan and purpose for the heavens where the Body of Christ will reign with Him in glory.

Vs. 10-12…Before we can fully appreciate the significance of Paul’s reference to the angelic realm, we must first understand more about these heavenly messengers. Actually, the Scriptures have a great deal to say about them.

• The angels were created by Jesus. Paul states: “For by Him [Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him” (Col. 1:16).
• Angels are inferior to God but superior to mankind at this point in time. (Heb. 2:5-8).
• Angels are innumerable. “But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels” (Heb. 12:22).
• Angels were created to be ministering spirits. (Heb. 1:7). As far as we can tell, there are only two
orders of angelic beings who are said to have wings—the Cherubims and Seraphims (Ezek. 10:18-21 cf. Isa. 6:1-4). This means that the vast majority of angels do not have wings, which is confirmed by the numerous appearances they made to the patriarchs, prophets and apostles.
• Angels are curious. (I Pet. 1:12).

The Apostle Paul makes approximately fifty references to the angelic host in his epistles. The ministry of angels during the dispensation of Grace is in accordance with the Mystery Program.

As God’s secret service agents, there are at least two areas where angels play an essential role in the Church, the Body of Christ.

1. Although angels are well aware of the wisdom of God through watching God at creation and the Prophetic Program which they actually assisted in revealing, Paul’s revelation unveils the hidden wisdom of God for the Church that was kept secret from past generations. Not even the elect angels knew anything about God’s eternal purpose for the Body of Christ. The apostle uses the term “now” dispensationally to show that a change has taken place. Today, then, the principalities and powers in the heavenly realm are learning about the Mystery through us. If angels shed tears, they probably wept when Paul wrote to Timothy that “all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.” It is astonishing to discover that we are their witnesses.
2. Paul seems to liken the spiritual realm to an arena where we are fighting the good fight of the faith in the presence of angels. There is good reason to believe that our conduct is constantly being observed by unseen eyes. Therefore, we should walk worthy of our calling “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.” Paul was always mindful that he was being watched and it affected his choices: “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (I Cor. 4:9).
It is very possible that the angelic host could be summoned as eyewitnesses of our conduct, at the Judgment Seat of Christ—a humbling thought indeed! While God is omniscient, He often works through His creation to accomplish His purposes. “I charge thee before God [or in the sight of God], and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality” (I Tim. 5:21).

Vs. 13…“Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.” The Apostle Paul was well-qualified to address this subject, since he lived a life of adversity. In II Corinthians 11:24-26 the apostle sets forth a list of things he endured in his service for Christ.

Vs. 14-16… Here are some things we need to incorporate into our lives to prepare ourselves for the day of adversity:
1. We must cultivate a daily prayer life.
2. Strengthen our inner man. Every child of God has an old nature and a new nature. Since we do not want to have the old nature control us, it is important to yield to the new man, which is created in holiness and righteousness. The inner man is strengthened by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. You cannot have more of the Spirit, but He can have more of you! If you yield to Him, He will cause you to be more spiritually minded. This is what the apostle sets forth in vs. 17 when he says, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” The term “dwell” in this passage means to “settle down.”

Vs. 17-18… Here Paul sets down the dimensions of the Revelation of the Mystery Program. Since a change has taken place, we need to know specifically where to turn in God’s Word to understand the breadth, the length, the depth, and the height of His grand theme (Rom. 16:25). God is carrying out His Mystery Program today. Therefore, Paul desires that we “comprehend with all saints” the dimensions of that program.
• He begins with the breadth, which is a reference to the fact that all believers are included, that is, both Jews and Gentiles. In other words, we are not to stop with the nation Israel, but go on to perfection, by acknowledging that in the administration of Grace, God is forming the Body of Christ which is a “joint-body” (whosoever will) (Eph. 2: 14-16; 4:16).
• Next, we have the length, which refers to the longsuffering of God. When God set Israel aside in unbelief He would have been perfectly justified in judging the world for the rejection of His Son. Instead, He unveiled a new program, lavishing the world with the riches of His grace, thus giving all men everywhere an opportunity to be saved (I Tim. 1:15,16).
• The length is followed by the depth. The depth speaks of the finished work of Christ. While the prophet of old predicted the death of Christ, it was not until the raising up of the Apostle Paul that we learn the significance of the once-for-sacrifice. Paul presents the good news of the Cross: how our Savior gave Himself a ransom for the sins of the world (I Tim. 2:3-6).
• The fourth dimension is the height, which is undoubtedly a reference to our exaltation with Christ in the heavenlies. While Israel had an earthly hope, we have the hope of heaven. We should familiarize ourselves with this dimension, for when trials beset us it is comforting to know that some day soon we shall be with Christ, which is far better.

Vs. 19… Paul contrasts the spiritual knowledge of the believer with human knowledge. Those who are saved have available to them a knowledge of spiritual things that far surpasses human knowledge. Having the eyes of our spiritual understanding opened, we are now able to comprehend the Word of God. It is God’s Word where we first learned about the love of Christ. It was Christ’s love for us that sent Him to Calvary to die for our sins, to redeem us back to God (Rom. 5:8). His love also keeps us secure for, as the apostle says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35). In addition, the love of Christ constrains us or motivates us to serve Him. Of course, we can never repay what He has accomplished for us, but out of gratitude for what He has done for us we should desire to live for Him (II Cor. 5:14,15). With this knowledge of the love of Christ we can enjoy the fullness of God.