Ephesians — Chapter 3
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1For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward:
3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5Which 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;
6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
8Unto 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;
9And 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:
10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
13Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
1For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,--
2if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me to you-ward;
3how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words,
4whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;
5which in other generation was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
6[to wit], that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
7whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.
8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things;
10to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly [places] might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.
13Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.
14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father,
15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
16that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21unto him [be] the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles
2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
3that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.
4When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ
5(which was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit),
6namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
7I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power.
8To me—less than the least of all the saints—this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ
9and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan—the mystery that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things.
10The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.
11This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12in whom we have boldness and confident access to God by way of Christ’s faithfulness.
13For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
14For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
16I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he will grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,
17that Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,
18you will be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you will be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think,
21to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
1For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
2if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;
3how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,
4by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;
5which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
6that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,
7of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.
8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ;
10to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
11according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;
12in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.
13Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.
14For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
16that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,
19and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Summary
Paul reveals the mystery hidden for ages — that Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel in Christ — and prays that believers would be strengthened by the Spirit to comprehend the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, being filled with all the fullness of God.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers Paul's imprisonment, the mystery of Gentile inclusion, the church's cosmic role, Paul's prayer, and the doxology.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Exceeding Abundantly" on v.20 (MTP Vol. 25, No. 1503) "Above all we ask — that would be enough. Above all we think — that goes further still. Abundantly above — more still. Exceeding abundantly above — Paul runs out of words. He piles up language because God's ability exceeds all human expression. Whatever you can imagine God doing for you — He can do infinitely more. Your imagination is the limit of your asking, but it is not the limit of His giving." Sermon: "The Love of Christ Which Passeth Knowledge" on v.19 (MTP Vol. 18) "To know the love which passeth knowledge — a paradox. You can know it experientially though you can never exhaust it intellectually. It is like standing at the ocean's edge — you can wade in, swim, even dive deep, but you will never reach the bottom or the far shore. His love has breadth enough for all, length enough for eternity, depth enough for the worst sinner, height enough to reach the throne."
Videos
The Bible Project — Ephesians Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Reflection
- 1. "Less than the least of all saints" (v.8). Paul's humility grew as his understanding of grace deepened. Is that true for you? Does knowing more of God's grace make you more humble or more proud?
- 2. "The unsearchable riches of Christ" (v.8). Christ's riches are inexhaustible — you will never reach the bottom. What "riches of Christ" have you discovered recently? What remains unexplored?
- 3. "The manifold wisdom of God" (v.10). The church — with all its messiness — displays God's wisdom to spiritual powers. How does this change your view of the church? Of your role in it?
- 4. "Strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (v.16). Where do you need inner strengthening right now? Are you cultivating your inner life or neglecting it for external activity?
- 5. "To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (v.19). Have you experienced Christ's love in a way that goes beyond intellectual understanding? What would it look like to be "filled with all the fulness of God"?
- 6. "Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (v.20). What are you asking God for? Whatever it is — He can do infinitely more. Are your prayers too small?