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Ephesians (Chapter 3)

The proclamation of God's council

In the first chapter of this letter, Paul presented the content of God's counsel concerning the position of the Lord Jesus in glory and the personal and corporate blessings of formerly lost sinners. In the second chapter, he explained its realization through the work of Christ for and on us. In the third chapter, he now comes to the proclamation of this counsel. 

Verse 1: "Therefore I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you, the nations -" 

At the time this letter was written, Paul was in Rome as a "prisoner of Christ Jesus" (see chapter 6:20). When he returned from his third missionary journey to Jerusalem, he was arrested by the Jews, who could not bear the fact that one of their people was preaching the gospel of grace to the nations and thus, in their opinion, teaching "against the people and the law and this place" (Acts 21:28). When he then argued in his defense that the glorified Lord had just called him to do this, he had pronounced his death sentence in their eyes (Acts 22:21ff.). Thus began the long imprisonment of this faithful servant of Christ, an imprisonment that had no other reason than that he had proclaimed the whole counsel of God to the nations on behalf of his Lord, which - as far as we know from the Word of God - had nowhere been done as fully and completely as in Ephesus (Acts 20:27).

The mystery of Christ (chapter 3:2-13)

Verses 2-21 again form an insertion in the train of thought of this letter. Here, we are told about the "administration," i.e., the proclamation and realization of the divine counsel concerning the assembly as the body of Christ.

Verse 2: "(for if you have heard of the administration of God's grace that has been given to me concerning you,"

The apostle Paul had been given an extraordinary grace. Not only was he the first (i.e., the greatest) of sinners on whom God bestowed mercy as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life (1 Tim 1:12-17), but he was also a chosen vessel to whom the glorified Lord imparted the mystery of His assembly. The other apostles preached the forgiveness of sins through faith in the Lord Jesus even before Saul's conversion, and Paul did the same. But it was not Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, or one of the other apostles, but Paul alone who was also commissioned to proclaim the "mystery of Christ," especially to the nations. Thus, he became the administrator of this special grace of God in relation to the nations.

Verse 3: "That the mystery has been made known to me by revelation - as I described it briefly before,"

The content of God's counsel is called "the mystery of Christ" (verse 4). The term "mystery" does not mean that it is still unknown but that something previously hidden has now been revealed. The truth about the assembly of God was not a subject about which the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied but was only revealed in the New Testament. The recipients of this revelation were the "apostles and prophets" of the New Testament era (cf. chapter 2:20; Rom. 16:25, 26). In verses 22 and 23 of chapter 1 and 13-22 of chapter 2, Paul had already "briefly described" this mystery to the Ephesians. He was the instrument chosen by the Lord with the most excellent understanding of this mystery, and he was also chosen in a particular way to proclaim this mystery, in which the unfathomable riches of Christ are expressed, to the nations.

Various details catch our eye: 

God's "oldest" plan, going back to eternity before the foundation of the world, is revealed in the Word of God as the last thing (cf. verse 9 and Col 1:25.26). 

The object of this mystery is not primarily the assembly but the glorified Christ. He is the Head, the assembly of His body. 

The revelation of the mystery takes place in a few meaningful words. While the essential elements of truth, such as repentance and forgiveness of sins, are explained in detail in various passages of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit presupposes a spiritual maturity for understanding the mystery of Christ, for which even a brief communication is understandable. 

Verse 4: "As you read, you will notice my understanding of the mystery of Christ,"

The mystery of the glorified Christ in heaven and His relationship to the assembly was revealed to the apostles and prophets of the New Testament. Still, Paul had the greatest understanding of it, and only he was commissioned to proclaim it, especially to the nations.

This mystery reveals "the unsearchable riches of Christ" and "the manifold wisdom of God" (Eph 3:8 and 10). 

The Son of Man, who was humiliated and rejected on earth, is now in heaven and has been given to the assembly as Head over all things (Eph 1:22). It is His body and, at the same time, the fullness of Him (i.e., what is needed to complete Him), who Himself will one day fill everything with His glory.

He, who was completely alone at the end of His earthly journey, is no longer alone in glory but has a body on earth (Eph 3:6).

The body of Christ consists of redeemed Jews and Gentiles. All earthly differences, be they God-given differences between man and woman, and between the people of Israel and the nations, or man-made differences such as that between slave and free, have no meaning or justification in this body because its members are born again and are one with the already glorified Head in heaven (Eph 2:11-16; 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:28; Col 3:11). 

Although the body is still on earth, its actual place is in heaven, where the Head is already (Eph 5:27).

Everything originates in the love of God, which surpasses all knowledge and serves as the glory of His grace (Eph 3:17, 19). 

Verse 5: "Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit:"

God, the Creator of all things, had this counsel in His heart from eternity. But the counsel could not be revealed until the work of atonement of His beloved Son on the cross of Golgotha, also decided from eternity, had been accomplished. Afterward, the mystery of Christ could be communicated to the holy apostles and prophets through the power of the Holy Spirit. They were the instruments chosen by the glorified Lord to proclaim the mighty new truth and thereby lay the foundation of the assembly on earth (cf. chapter 2:20). Still, Paul was also destined to communicate its entire mystery, as he does in this letter.

The preoccupation with these facts fills the heart with joy and satisfaction. Our thoughts are directed upwards, and we contemplate what is above, "where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:2). Are we not in constant danger of being infected by the spirit of our materialistic and worldly-oriented times and losing sight of the heavenly calling of believers and the assembly? The consequences are indifference to the thoughts of the Lord and conformity to the world around us. But the Lord wants to show us through His Word our true riches and our true calling.

Verse 6: "That they [from the] nations may be fellow heirs and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,"

These blessings are intended not only for the earthly people of God but also for all people. However, the expressions "co-heirs," "co-incarnate" (actually: co-body), and "co-partakers of the promise" do not mean that the nations now share in the former privileges of the people of Israel. As we have already seen when looking at chapter 2:11-18, the believers both from the Jews and from the nations have been taken out of their former position. Both groups will be equal co-heirs with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom (cf. chapter 1:11), both belong to the one body of Christ, and both share in the promise of God - not the Old Testament promises to the earthly people of Israel, but "the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel," namely the promise of eternal life (Titus 1:2).

In the time of the Old Testament, Israel was the chosen and blessed earthly people of God. The prophets of that time did speak of blessings that the nations would receive in the Millennial Kingdom. But even then, Israel will be the chosen people and Jerusalem the center from where the blessings for the nations will emanate (Isa 19:23-25; Zech 14:16-21). But just as in the past, the nations will not be placed on the same level as the people of Israel in that still future time, and there can be even less talk of them being united into one body.

In the present time, however, in which the Lord Jesus is forming His assembly, it is quite different. The assembly, which consists of all who believe in Him - the Savior now rejected but glorified in heaven at the right hand of God - is a new, heavenly body with heavenly blessings and a heavenly calling. In it, all the distinctions of the old man are removed, and it forms one body, of which Christ is the already glorified Head.

Verse 7: "Whose servant I have become according to the gift of God's grace, which was given to me according to the working of His power."

Here Paul calls himself only a minister of the gospel, as in Colossians 1:23. However, there he adds that he is also a minister of the assembly (Col 1:24f.). Since the word "gospel" can mean much more than just the message of forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation for the individual sinner, the apostle here seems to mean gospel in a broader sense, which includes all the blessings of Christianity, for these are also 'good news.' He could only be a minister of the gospel by the grace of God that had been bestowed on him for this purpose (cf. 1 Cor 15:10; 1 Pet 4:11). However, it was not only the grace of God, but also His power that enabled him to carry out this ministry, for he was incapable of doing this on his own, as the following verse emphasizes.

Verses 8 and 9: "To me, the least of all the saints, has this grace been given to declare to the nations the unsearchable riches of Christ and to enlighten all, which is the administration of the mystery hidden from the ages in God, who created all [things];"

In the light of God, Paul saw the terrible error of his ways when he persecuted the church (cf. 1 Cor 15:9; 1 Tim 1:13, 15). But by God's grace, he had been called as an apostle to the gentiles to proclaim the gospel and the whole counsel of God, the unfathomable riches of Christ, to those who were saved through it. He did this with self-sacrificing devotion, always conscious of the grace bestowed on him and always with the desire to bring as many as possible to enjoy the wonderful grace of God.

Here, Paul explains once again that the mystery was not yet known at the time of the Old Testament. It was still hidden in God and not revealed in the Scriptures. But now that it has been revealed to him, he wants everyone to know this mystery. His heart is filled with it, and his life is consecrated to it. May we also understand it better! Many believers are content with a state that hardly differs from the Old Testament believers. How many hardly understand anything about true Christianity and the real nature of the assembly of God? How few know the assurance of salvation, the true Christian joy, and the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places! That is why there is so much sighing and complaining but also so much earthly- and worldly-mindedness. May our eyes and hearts be more open to the unfathomable riches of Christ!

Verses 10 and 11: "That now unto the principalities and powers in the heavenly [places] might be made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to [the] eternal purpose which He hath purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;"

Not only is the gospel of grace now brought to lost sinners, and not only are the redeemed introduced to the riches of the mystery of Christ, but also "the manifold wisdom of God is made known through the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." The heavenly beings and powers were witnesses of creation (Job 38:7), of the legislation at Sinai (Gal 3:19), of the way of the Son of God from the manger to His ascension (Luke 2:13; 22:43; 24:4; Acts 1:10; cf. 1 Tim 3:16). They are also marveling admirers of the wisdom - but above all the love that surpasses all human knowledge - of God, which is revealed in the assembly that He has purchased with the blood of His own Son. If these exalted heavenly creatures want to behold the wisdom and love of God, they must turn their gaze to earth and look at us! What grace, but also what responsibility for us! How little the assembly has responded to this thought of God! Instead of revealing itself as the unity desired by Him, it is torn apart and partly united with the world. But however great the aberrations of Christians may be, God will still accomplish His eternal purpose, which He has made in Christ Jesus. One day, the assembly will stand before Christ without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless, and share His power and dominion with Him.

Verse 12: "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."

While angels "desire to look into the ways of God with His Son" (1 Peter 1:12), those who believe in Him may make use of the access to the holy God that has been opened up to them with boldness and confidence! Paul had already mentioned in chapter 2:18 the great privilege of believers to have access to the Father through the Holy Spirit. However, the Lord Jesus not only paved the way to the Father for those who believe in Him (John 14:6) but also gave them the confidence to make bold use of it. We have not only peace with God but also the boldness to talk to Him and tell Him everything, indeed, to deal with Him confidently, like a son with his father. Does this not show us that everything communicated to us in the Word of God, even the most sublime revelations, should connect us more intimately with Him and increase our privilege of communion with Him?

Verse 13: "Therefore, I ask you not to be discouraged by my tribulations for you, which are your honor."

His faithful confession of the glorified Christ had led the apostle Paul to prison. When the believers to whom he wrote saw what consequences his preaching had had for him, they could become discouraged. He wants to warn them against such despair but does not stop there. He points out to them that the tribulations in which he found himself for the sake of the gospel did not make him discouraged at all but were rather a cause for joy (cf. 2 Cor 12:10; 1 Pet 4:13). Since the Holy Spirit not only united the believers with Christ - the Head - but also with one another, Paul's tribulations were not only for His glory, but also for theirs. As members of the one body, they are intimately united in blessing and suffering.

Paul's prayer (chapter 3:14-21)

Paul turns his gaze back upwards to prayer. Following the prayer to "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ" in chapter 1:15-23, he has essentially spoken of the wisdom and counsel of God. The prayer that now follows concludes this sublime part of the letter and simultaneously leads to the second, practical part, which begins with chapter 4.

The purpose of the first prayer was to focus our attention on the unlimited glory and power that Christ has received from God and that we will share with Him. The purpose of the second prayer is to bring us to enjoy the love we have come to know in Him. The love that has given us the glory is greater than the glory itself (cf. Jn 17:24).

Verse 14: "That is why I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Paul now turns to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. While the name "God" speaks of majesty and glory, the term "Father" shows us His love. He not only loved His Son before the foundation of the world but also testified to His love for Him several times as a human being (John 17:24; Matthew 3:17; 17:5), to the highest degree through His resurrection and His glorification at His right hand. In this position, which our Lord Jesus Christ occupies as a glorified man before His God and Father, all who believe in Him are made one with Him based on the work of redemption. The Father loves us as He loves His Son! This love of the Father is even more glorious than His power, which was the subject of Paul's first prayer. 

Paul now bows his knees before Him, "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Verse 15: "By whom every family in [the] heavens and on [the] earth is named,"

The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is also the One who is above everything and everyone (cf. chapter 4:6). He knows and names every family in the heavens and on earth, be it the angels or the people, be it the believers of the Old Covenant, the present time of grace or the future time of tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom. He has His plans and intentions for all of them, but His glory is revealed in a very special way in His counsel concerning Christ, His redeemed, and His assembly (chapter 1:6, 12, 14; 3:16). Even though we occupy the highest place in this revelation of God's glory and are intimately connected with Him who is at the center of God's counsel, we are nevertheless dealing with a Father who is the source of everything. All "families" have a special relationship with the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because they are destined by Him to offer praise and honor to the Son according to their position.

Verse 16: "That He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;"

First of all, it is necessary to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us with the daily necessary power for the "inner man." The measure of this strengthening is the riches of His glory, which He particularly unfolds before us in this letter (cf. chapter 1:18). The inner man is not simply to be seen in contrast to the outer man (i.e., the human body), but, as in Romans 7:22 and 2 Corinthians 4:16, denotes the new life, the new nature in the believer, or also the new man (cf. Eph 4:23, 24; Col 3:10). This is about the practical effectiveness of the same divine power of God in us that is demonstrated in us in chapter 1:19 and through us in chapter 6:10. 

Verse 17: "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, rooted and grounded in love,"

Here we have the glorious and sublime object of this prayer: Christ, the glorified man at the right hand of God, as the fulfiller of His whole counsel and as the object of His pleasure. He is the center of everything - and He is to have His permanent residence in the hearts of the redeemed through faith (cf. Col 1:27)! This is no longer about blessings, but about the One in whom all blessings come to us! 

For Him to dwell in our hearts, we need the firm awareness of the Father's love for His own, rooted like a tree and founded like a building, expressed in love for Him and the brothers and sisters and in the practical fellowship that results from this. This is very important. The Christian is not a loner but, as the letter to the Ephesians shows, a member of a spiritual body whose Head is Christ in glory. 

Verse 18: "That ye may be able to comprehend fully with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth," 

The breadth, length, height, and depth of the whole counsel of God in Christ for His own cannot be fully grasped by a single believer alone because to understand the unity of the body and to enjoy the fellowship, we need the other saints because it is a matter of collective and corporate spiritual blessings. The breadth pointsto the fact that in the assembly, there is no longer a distinction between Israel and the nations; the gospel addresses all people. The length of the counsel is also in contrast to God's thoughts with His earthly people, Israel, who are chosen from the foundation of the world and only for the time on earth, not for eternity like the redeemed of the present time, who were chosen before the foundation of the world, and indeed for all eternity. With the height, we are pointed to the place that the Lord Jesus already occupies at His right hand, but also to the Father's house, into which He will take us home at His coming. Could there be a higher place than being with God? After all, we are also faced with the unfathomable depth to which the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, had to humble Himself to free us who were trapped in the depths of sin. To do this, He had to become man, be an obedient servant of God, and finally reach the lowest point of humiliation and weakness through His death on the cross (Phil 2:6-8; Eph 4:9). 

The love of Christ

Verse 19: "And to recognize the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled to all the fullness of God."

Not only this, but also the love of Christ for us, His own (as well as for the Father), exceeds our capacity for knowledge. And yet we are allowed to deal with it again and again, indeed constantly. It is the apostle's wish that this may be the case more and more so that we may be filled "to all the fullness of God." The preposition "to" may seem conspicuous at first, but on reflection, it becomes understandable. People can never be filled with all the fullness of God. Only in One does the fullness of the Godhead dwell bodily, in the man Christ Jesus (Col 1:19; 2:9). But even though we have received new, divine life through faith, we will remain finite creatures. However, being filled "to the fullness of God" indicates the direction, just as a vessel immersed in the water of the ocean is filled with it and yet can only grasp a tiny part of it!

Verses 20 and 21: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the gathering together in Christ Jesus throughout all generations of the ages of ages. Amen.)"

Paul concludes the first doctrinal part of the letter with a doxology (i.e., praise). He addresses it to the one "who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think." Our faith and prayers may be weak, but our God and Father is omnipotent and demonstrates His omnipotence in our life of faith. His power knows no bounds! He had already demonstrated His power in us when He brought us from death to life and raised us with Christ (chapter 1:19; 2:5, 6). This power now also works in us through the Holy Spirit, whom we have received. The more we practically surrender our lives to Him, the more this divine power can work in us! 

However, the praise brought to Him should not remain personal but should be communal praise "in the assembly." The assembly according to the counsel of God is the outstanding subject of this letter (chapter 1:22; 3:10; 5:23, 25ff., 32). Just as we can only grasp and enjoy many of our blessings together, so our praise and worship of Him in the assembly, in whose midst He dwells, is the highest for us and the most pleasing to Him. We may begin this now and continue it for all eternity (cf. Rev 5:14).

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