Ephesians 3:1-21 Lesson 372

Ephesians 3:1-21
Lesson 372

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Paul's mission to the Gentiles.
The way of prayer.

The mystery of Christ (3:3-9).
God's purpose (3:10-12).
Paul's prayer (3:14-21).

This lesson ends part one of Ephesians;
The role of the church.

Paul.
By Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669).

Study Tip:

As you study the Bible, listen to what God is telling you.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Ephesians

The King James Bible

Ephesians 3:1-21
Paul's testimony

1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9 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:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Margin notes:

"For this cause." (3:1) - "For this reason." This is a reference to verses 2:11-22 (lesson 371), where we learned that Gentiles and Jews are equal heirs to God's promise of salvation.

"The prisoner of Jesus Christ." (3:1) - Paul was in prison (2 Timothy 1:8) for spreading the Gospel when he wrote Ephesians.

"Ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward." (3:2) - "You've heard about the task given to me concerning God's grace towards you." Paul's mission was to spread the good news to Gentiles. Thus, he is called the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15).

"By revelation he made known unto me." (3:3) - The message taught by Paul came from God via divine revelation.

"As I wrote afore." (3:3) "As I wrote before."

"The mystery of Christ." - (3:4) - The mystery of Christ, "kept secret" (Romans 16:25) until Jesus, was that Gentiles share in the promise of salvation made to Jews Galatians 3:28; Colossians 1:26-27).  God forgives the sins of everyone who accepts His grace.

"The Gentiles should be fellowheirs." (3:6) - Gentiles are joint heirs to the promises God made with the Jews. All who believe will share in the heavenly riches, as promised in Ezekiel 47:22.

"And of the same body." (3:6) - Believers, whether they're Jew or Gentile, are part of the body of Christ.  This is one of the central themes of Ephesians.

"I was made a minister." (3:7) - See Colossians 1:23; 1:25.

"God given unto me by the effectual working of his power." (3:7) - God gave Paul the gift to teach the Gospel.

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints." (3:8) - Paul repeatedly downplayed his role as an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:9; 1 Timothy 1:15).

"The principalities and powers in heavenly places." (3:10) - "The rulers and authorities in heaven."

"By the church." (3:10) - Means through the church and its members and ministers.

"Which he purposed in Christ Jesus." (3:11) - "Which He (God) planned through Christ Jesus."

"We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." (3:12) - Thanks to Jesus, we now have direct access to God (Hebrews 4:16). We don't need an intermediary (rabbi, priest, pastor) to talk to God.

"I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations." (3:13) - Paul didn't want believers to be discouraged by his trials and tribulations.  Remember, Paul was in prison when he wrote this epistle.

"For this cause I bow my knees..." (3:14) - "For this reason I bow my knees..." The rest of this chapter is a prayer. Notice how the last two verses (3:20-21) praise God (this is called a doxology).

"The whole family." (3:15) - The family of believers, past, present, and future.

"The inner man." (3:16) - The soul, the real person.

"The breadth, and length, and depth, and height." (3:18) - God's love is vast, and nothing can "separate us" from it (Romans 8:38-39). This is an excellent verse to ponder when doubting God's love.

"To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." (3:19) - "To know the love of Christ, which is incomprehensible."

"Filled with all the fulness of God." (3:19) - To be filled with the spiritually of God.

New Living Translation

Ephesians 3:1-21
God's Mysterious Plan Revealed

1 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .

2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.

3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.

4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.

5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

6 And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

7 By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

8 Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.

9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

10 God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.

13 So please don't lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.

Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Growth

14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,

15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What is the mystery? (3:3)



"Salvation does not come by confirmation, communion, baptism, church membership, church attendance, trying to keep the Ten Commandments, or living out the Sermon on the Mount. It does not come by giving to charity or even by believing that there is a God. It does not come by simply being moral and respectable. Salvation does not even come by claiming to be a Christian. Salvation comes only when we receive by faith the gift of God's grace. Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace. God has stooped to give us grace. Will you receive it."

Author unknown.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. The Old Testament foretold that Gentiles would find "salvation" (Isaiah 49:6), but how remained a mystery. The mystery was solved thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and the New Testament.  Salvation is available to all who believe. There is no more need to be burdened by the impossible standards of the Mosaic Law.  The blessing of Abraham is extended to Gentiles via Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14). All who believe are joint heirs with God's chosen people, the Jews (3:6).




Application thought for the day:

Pray for wisdom.
Pray the Holy Spirit will open your heart and mind as you study the Bible.
Pray that God's plan for you will be made clear.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2022 evolke

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