Ephesians 3 Study Notes

3:1 Paul here initiates a thought that he leaves unfinished until v. 14. The apostle celebrates his present circumstances in light of God’s will and calling for his life. Twice (3:1; 4:1) Paul reminds his readers that while he is a prisoner of Rome, he is also a prisoner of Christ Jesus, the Lord (see Php 1:13).

3:2 The administration of God’s grace refers to Paul’s unique ministry, describing the implementation of a divine strategy. Paul’s ministry was not of his own making but was given to him as a commission from God (Ac 9).

3:3 Mystery points to something that once was hidden or secret and now God has been revealed. The mystery revealed is that God determined through the person and work of Christ to incorporate the Gentiles into one body of the church as equal partners with Israel (v. 6).

3:4-5 By reading this refers to what Paul had written in the first two chapters.

3:6 Coheirs shows that believers in Christ are coinheritors of God’s kingdom. It also characterizes the new community of believers with Christ as head. That the Gentiles would have equal footing with God’s covenant people was a new aspect of God’s revelation.

3:7 The reference to God’s grace forms an inclusio with v. 2 that brackets the paragraph.

3:8 Least of all the saints is a combination of a superlative and a comparative in one Greek term. The unusual term may have been a playful allusion to Paul’s name (Paulus [Lat], “small,” “humble”), thus acknowledging that in himself he was insignificant; but in Christ, God had made him a new creature.

3:9 The content of what is brought to light is the administration of the mystery, or how God intended to fulfill his purpose.

3:10 God’s intent was that through the church, his multifaceted wisdom should be made known. “Multifaceted” means manifold or multicolored like a beautiful jewel. The history of the Christian church and the unfolding drama of redemption is watched with avid interest by the rulers and authorities in the heavens, an apparent reference to angels (cp. 1Pt 1:12).

3:11-13 The church is central to God’s working in history. The gospel is good news for a new society and new life. Paul described the church as a divine agent and as a divine fellowship with a divine mandate.

3:14 Paul resumed the prayer that he began in v. 1. In this prayer, he asked that believers might be blessed with inner strength, insightful understanding, and spiritual excellence.

3:15 This verse involves some difficult translation decisions, but Paul’s intent seems to be as follows: the concept and institute of fatherhood (shared with minor variation by all cultures) stems from God’s role as Father and Creator of all peoples. It is not only Jews who can “kneel before the Father” (v. 14) and expect to gain an audience, but people from every race and nation.

3:16-19 Paul prayed for inner power, which is the result of God dwelling in the hearts of believers. He asked for believers to be strengthened . . . rooted, and filled via the work of the three Persons of the Trinity: Spirit, Christ, and God the Father.

3:20-21 Paul burst into a grand doxology concerning God’s majestic abilities. He prayed that God’s glory be abundantly manifested in the church and in Christ. Even in the eternal state, the church will bring glory to God forever and ever.