EPHESIANS 3:1-13

Conventional scholarly wisdom treats Ephesians 3 as a prayer begun at v. 1a, interrupted by vv. 1b-13, and resumed in vv. 14-21. I prefer to see this chapter as a two-part organization, each beginning with similar wording: “This is the reason why” (v. 1a) and “For this reason” (v. 14). One piece of data that supports this contention is that v.1a also contains the phrase “for the sake of you Gentiles,” which is echoed in “for you” (v. 2), “to bring to the Gentiles” (v. 8), and “for you” (v. 13). The whole idea of Paul's suffering in 1a that begins this passage is repeated at its conclusion in v. 13. Similarly, the title “Christ Jesus” appears at the start (v. 1a) and toward the end (v. 11).

Other key wording repeated in this first half of ch. 3 includes “God's grace given me” (vv. 2, 7, 8); “revelation / revealed” (vv. 3, 5); and “mystery made known.” Variations on this last concept are “mystery was made known to me” (v. 3), “mystery was not made known earlier to mankind” (v. 5), and “mystery hidden for the ages...made known to the spiritual rulers and authorities” (vv. 9-10).

Eph. 3:3a The key word “mystery” appears first in Ephesians in this verse. A fuller explanation of Paul's meaning will be given in 3:5-6, but suffice it to say at this point that, as Beale and Gladd aver (Hidden But Now Revealed), whenever that term is used in the Bible it always refers to something that was formerly concealed from mankind but has now been explained. That sets it apart from the mystery religions of the Roman Empire and the later Gnostics who felt that only a few select people were to be let in on the secret. R.P. Martin feels that this “revelation” was the one given Paul on the road to Damascus.

Eph. 3:3b Paul makes a somewhat cryptic reference in this verse to something that he had already told the Ephesians “above.” Maclean notes that if Paul is referring to something earlier in the Ephesian letter, then perhaps 1:9-10 and 2:11-22 are the passages since they both talk about God's plan to create a new people composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers. However, Maclean admits that the word translated as “above” may also mean “previously” or “earlier.” In that case, it could refer to some prior correspondence with the Ephesians that we do not possess. Alternatively, Seitz feels that the earlier writing the Ephesians were aware of was Colossians 1:26-27.

Eph. 3:5 We should not take the word “holy” in the way it is usually defined today. As Martin notes, it is merely a term setting believers apart from the rest of humanity without implying any sort of particular sanctity.

Eph. 3:5-6 Beale and Gladd devote 50 pages of their book discussing the meaning of “mystery” in Ephesians. I will attempt to summarize their findings in much fewer words:

    1. The first occurrence of the word in Ephesians is in 1:9-10 where Paul lays out the general principle that God's plan was to gather all things together in Himself.

    2. In Eph. 3:5-6, Paul gives a specific example of that plan: creating a new chosen people consisting of both Jews and Gentiles, who are to be equal sharers in God's blessings.

    3. But that in itself is not a mystery earlier hidden since it was prophesied a number of times in the OT (Psalm 87:4-6; Isaiah 11:9-10; 14:1-2; 49:6; 51:4-6; 60:1-16; Jeremiah 3:17; ad Zephaniah 3:9-10).

    4. Therefore the true nature of the “mystery” consists of the manner in which the Gentiles become part of this unified body – it is through Christ, not through the Gentiles adopting all of the Jewish customs and laws.

    5. This is brought about by Christ being the Messiah, who would completely reconstitute what it meant to be a true Jew.

Elsewhere in their book, Beale and Gladd discuss a further aspect of this same “mystery,” i.e. the order of events. In the OT revelations it appeared that in the last days the Gentiles would simply come to join the Jews (see #2 above). It has now been further revealed that the Gentiles would come to Christ, the true Jew, who would be rejected (for the most part) by the nation of Israel. But in the last days, the Jews will be prompted by jealousy of the Gentile believers to also come to Christ (see the Book of Romans).

Eph. 3:6 The word “partakers” will be used in a negative sense in 5:7.

Eph. 3:8 Paul looks back on his pre-conversion life as a persecutor of the church. Also see I Cor. 15:9: “For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

Eph. 3:9 The early heretic Marcion had no use for the God of the OT, and so he changed the wording here to read: “the mystery hidden for ages from the God who created all things.” (Bruce)

Eph. 3:10 This is the final time that Paul uses the interesting phrase translated something like “in the heavenly places” or “in the heavenlies.” When it appeared earlier in the letter in 1:3, it referred to blessings that we now possess, and in 2:6 it referred to our presently being seated with Christ at the right hand of God. A closely related Greek word is used in 1:20 where it also talks about Christ being at the right hand of God. And now in Ephesians 3:10, “in the heavenly places” is said to be the realm of all spiritual powers. So we can conclude that this phrase includes the whole spiritual realm of which believers are a part whether located in heaven or on earth. However, Martin feels that in this particular verse it refers to spiritual forces of darkness that are to be defeated. He also points out that the Greek word translated as “manifold, or rich variety” literally means “multicolored.”

Eph. 3:12 On the basis of the parallel in Romans 5:2, Murray concludes that the phrase should be translated “faith in him (Christ)” rather than the alternative understanding “faithfulness of him.”

Eph. 3:13 Stott clarifies the thought here (and in II Timothy 2:8-10) which appears on the surface to teach that others can be saved by Paul's suffering in the same way that they can by the suffering of Christ. But Paul is only claiming that his sufferings on their behalf resulted in them hearing the gospel of Christ and thus become saved.