Chapter 3
3:1-3- For the majority of this chapter, Paul expands on his role in the revelation that Gentiles are included in this new covenant and the implications of Jew/Gentile integration. It is for the reasons discussed in the previous chapter that Paul is a prisoner of Christ in a figurative sense, but also a prisoner under Roman captivity because of Christ in a literal sense. We see the sort of opposition Paul faced from fellow Jews in Acts 21:26-36 and the incredulousness at the mention of Gentile inclusion in Acts 22:21-24 (NIV), “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.”
He faced this due to the faithfulness to his commission from the Lord to be a witness to the Gentiles. As noted, Paul also probably means that he is a prisoner of Christ in the metaphorical sense in that he is a “bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” -Rom. 1:1. Constantine Campbell writes, “Indeed, Paul likely viewed his literal, physical imprisonment as a tangible expression of his preexisting metaphorical captivity to Christ. Thus, to invoke one is to invoke the other.”
The incredible thing is that Paul viewed his lot in life (an apostle to the Gentiles commissioned by Christ) as God’s grace upon him (verse 2). It was by the grace of God that he was not only saved, but called to a life of physical hardship and persecution for the sake of advancing the gospel to people who had previously been far off from God. Paul viewed this as something to be “stewarded” as a great responsibility. His whole purpose for existing in this life was to do one thing, fulfill his commission as an apostle and serve his Lord, despite considering himself to be “least of all saints” (3:8, see also, Phil. 1:23-25).
The “revelation” he speaks of in verse 3 is that of his commissioning and the inclusion of the Gentiles (see previous chapters, cf. Acts 9:15, 22:21). “Mystery” in this context refers to “a secret purpose of God which when uncovered is understood by the Spirit-taught believer” as Kenneth Wuest explains. Others, like Craig Keener, point out that despite the term being used in “mystery cults”, Paul's background for such a term would come from Daniel 2 and other Jewish writings. Keener, not dissimilar to Wuest, writes: “In the Dead Sea Scrolls it means especially God’s plan for history, encoded in the Scriptures, but understandable only to the wise or to those with the Spirit’s insight.” Paul then refers to that which he “wrote before in brief” or “As I briefly wrote earlier” as the NLT translates it. He could be referring to a previous letter not known to us, or simply referring to what he has been discussing in the chapters leading up to this point (2:11-22).
3:4-5- As this letter was being read aloud in the presence of the church (cf. Col. 4:16), Paul says they will be able to understand this mystery that has been revealed. The full details of God’s plan of salvation had been hidden from mankind until God took on human flesh, revealed Himself and made known the full revelation of this salvation plan to His holy apostles and to the prophets (John 14:26, John 16:13, Acts 10—for the role and function of apostles and prophets, see notes on 2:20, 4:11). The question may naturally arise, didn’t Paul just appeal to Isaiah in the previous chapter to help prove his point (2:17)? And furthermore, doesn’t Paul cite Hosea in Rom. 9:25-26 and Isaiah in Rom. 10:20 as prophesying Gentile inclusion? How was this a mystery when we find many instances in Paul’s letters of him using the Old Testament to substantiate his message of Gentile inclusion? Charles Hodge states: “That the Gentiles were to partake of the blessings of the Messiah’s reign, and to be united as one body with the Jews in his kingdom, is not only frequently predicted by the ancient prophets, but Paul himself repeatedly and at length quotes their declarations on this point to prove what he taught was in accordance with the Old Testament.”
However, as A. R. Fausset points out, despite the call of the Gentiles being known to the prophets of the Old Testament, it was not with the same explicitness as “they probably did not know that the Gentiles were to be admitted without circumcision, and on a level with the Jews in partaking of the grace of God.” Indeed, Frank Thielman agrees with this observation when he writes: “It is true that many OT texts, particularly in Isaiah, speak to the inclusion of Gentiles in the worship of God during the days of Israel’s eschatological restoration (e.g., Isa. 2:2-4; 25:6-10; 56:6-8)... It is not clear from these texts, however, that Gentiles would occupy a place of equal importance with Jews in those days and this is precisely what Paul implies in 3:6.” This was the offensive part to many Jews. That is, that Gentiles were not required to become full proselytes (converts to Judaism) and that the dividing wall between the two peoples had been broken down (2:12-22, cf. Acts 10). All this was made known to the apostles and prophets “in the Spirit” and for the purpose of laying the foundation of the church as Paul mentioned in 2:20 (see comments there).
3:6-7- Paul then restates and sums up his teaching in 2:11-22, which is the revelation he speaks of. It is through Christ Jesus that Gentiles are partakers in “the promise.” This likely refers to Gen. 12:3, “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” As Paul explains in Rom. 4:13-17 and in Gal 3:29, faith in Christ results in becoming an heir to the promise God made Abraham, whether Jew or Gentile. Paul says in verse 7 that he was made a minister of the gospel by the grace of God through God’s power. Paul’s commissioning to bring the gospel to the world and help establish the church was not something he pursued or worked to achieve. He was chosen by God’s grace for this purpose and he was acutely aware of this (1:1, cf. Rom. 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:1, 2 Cor. 1:1, Gal. 1:1, Col. 1:1, etc.). The power of God that Paul is likely referring to here is that of taking a violent persecutor of Christ as Paul was and transforming him into a nonviolent messenger of truth for Christ.
Campbell writes, “Paul’s character also underwent transformation as his violence and rage gave way to peace and love. Truly, such transformations of belief, worldview, and character can only be attributed to the powerful working of God. And God‘s power was effected in Paul as an expression of his tremendous grace.” Indeed, Hodge also points to God’s power as the transforming work within a wicked sinner when he writes: “It was not the blinding light, nor the fearful voice, which he refers to the power of God, but the inward change, by which he, a malignant opposer of Christ, was instantly converted into an obedient servant.”
3:8-9- Paul was acutely aware of the grace of God in his own life and how much he didn’t deserve it. He says in 1 Tim. 1:12-15, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
And in a similar sentiment, Paul states in 1 Cor. 15:9-10, “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” What we see in Paul is exactly what Christ describes in Luke 7:40-47. Those who are forgiven much, love much. And it is because of this love that Paul’s mission in life was to please His Lord and Savior by not only living a holy life, but by faithfully fulfilling His mission to spread the kingdom of God and to preach the “unfathomable riches of Christ” (cf. 1:7, 1:18, 2:6-7).
Paul continues to speak of the responsibility given him in verse 9. That is, as discussed above, to deliver the mystery of Gentile inclusion as coheirs. The reference to God as the creator of all things likely speaks to His sovereignty in regards to how and when He chooses to unveil His mysteries. As it says in Deut. 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” Beyond the immediate context that speaks to God revealing the law to Israel, the wider theological implication is that God reveals to us His revelation as He wills and to whatever extent He wills. There are also things that are true of God that He has not revealed (cf. Isa. 55:8-9, Rom. 11:33). However, for our purposes and by God’s grace, the wonderful news of God’s salvation plan and all the implications of that have been made known for us (2 Tim. 3:15-17).
3:10-12- The result of God’s intricate wisdom is the universal church; the people He has redeemed for Himself through His salvation plan. As we’ve seen throughout this epistle and in places like Rom. 11:33-36, Paul marvels at the wisdom of God in all of this. The church stands as a shining example to the universe of God’s wisdom in not only creation, but in every aspect of His grand design and redemptive plan. His attributes are on full display. His love, justice, mercy, grace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, power and wisdom can be made known through the people He has saved. To quote Albert Barnes, “There was wisdom manifested when the plan was formed; wisdom in the selection of the Redeemer; wisdom in the incarnation; wisdom in the atonement; wisdom in the means of renewing the heart, and sanctifying the soul; wisdom in the various dispensations by which the church is sanctified, guided, and brought to glory.” In this epistle, Paul mentions opposing forces to God multiple times: “The prince of the power of the air” (2:2); “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (6:12). Campbell points out that Paul “envisages that these evil spiritual forces that stand in opposition to God will come to know the reality of God’s multifaceted wisdom. His wisdom does not spell only the blessing of the nations, but God’s outsmarting and outmaneuvering of those competing powers.”
If you grew up as a child in church, the “safe” answer to any biblical question in Sunday School was “Jesus!” While not always the correct answer in context, the element of truth to the answer in general is that the entire narrative of Scripture points to Christ. He is the solution that has been provided for our fallen state (Luke 24:27, John 5:46-47). Such is the case in Verse 11 as it was in chapter 1. Francis Foulkes states: “Behind all the events of this world’s history there is an eternal purpose being worked out. God’s plan is no ad hoc plan, but one conceived from eternity and eternal in its scope. Christ is the agent of this purpose.”
Verse 12 has Paul finishing out his statement by saying that because of all this, we have bold and confident access to God. The Greek word many translations render as “boldness” (NASB, ESV, NKJV, NET) is parrēsia, which literally means “freedom of speech.” What is meant by the word is a sense of assurance, confidence and lack of shame. Acts 4:31 is a good example of this in relation to the apostles being bold before men, but as Foulkes points out, “It is used of a similar absence of fear or shame in approaching God. Hebrews 4:16 and 10:19 are the clearest examples of this, which is the meaning here.” And Barnes clarifies that “boldness is not rashness; and faith is not presumption; but we may come without hesitating, and with an assurance that our prayers will be heard.” If our Faith is in Christ, we can have confidence that we have access to the Father. Our sins are forgiven, His grace is abundant and we are adopted into His household!
3:13- As Paul was writing this, he was quite literally in prison because of his ministry to the Gentiles (3:1), hence his use of “on your behalf.” Paul’s situation is all part of God’s sovereign plan and his readers should not be discouraged that he is in prison as if something has gone wrong. Rather, as Campbell notes, “He is God’s chosen vehicle for their encounter with Christ. As such, his afflictions for them offers no reason for discouragement, since ‘they are your glory’.” In what way is it for their glory? A verse that further explains what Paul likely means here is 2 Tim. 2:10: “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” While it is because of his ministry that he is in prison, it’s also because of his ministry that the Gentiles are being saved, thus destined for eternal glory.
3:14-15- Because of Paul’s commission to make the gospel known among the Gentiles; God’s good plan, and possibly the temptation of his readers to lose heart due to his tribulations (3:13), Paul bows before God in prayer. The “bowing” could be metaphorical (an expression of reverence) or a literal act as an expression of reverence (1 Chr. 29:20, Psa. 95:6, Dan. 6:10, Luke 22:41). Either way, Paul prays with respect and humility before God.
Verse 15 further speaks to God’s sovereignty over all creation. Paul uses some wordplay in the Greek which would have made more sense to his original readers, but is a little odd when translated to English, but I think Kyle Snodgrass sums it up simply enough when he writes, “It is an attempt to be as inclusive as possible to emphasize the cosmic scope of God’s reign and purposes. Paul saw the divisions among the human race as existing under the one God.” And Max Turner states that this verse is essentially “an affirmation of God as Creator of all groups of living beings (cf. 3:9; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:15-18), and is the one who sovereignly gives each its individual ‘shape’ and role.”
3:16-17- Paul’s prayer is that his readers’ “inner man” be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit. In 2 Cor. 4:16, Paul says, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” This “inner man” term that Paul also uses in Rom. 7:22 can be seen as synonymous to our “heart;” the seat of our emotional and moral state, our inner life (Mark 7:21-23). Considering this, Campbell sees this as the strengthening of the inner person referring to “God’s reinforcing and empowering a person’s mind, heart, and soul in their worship and devotion to Christ so that he can be said to dwell in their hearts (3:17).” Foulkes agrees and notes that “It is the constant assumption, or specific emphasis, of the teaching of the New Testament, that the strength for the Christian life comes by the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.” This is far from a ‘mystical’ experience or some sort of expectation of charismatic power. This is a prayer for strength in times of trial and tribulation (cf. Phil. 4:10-13, 2 Cor. 11:21-12:10) and faithful perseverance for Christ.
Paul continues in verse 17 by praying that the result of being strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man will be that Christ dwells in their hearts through faith. At surface level this may seem odd as believers should already have Christ within them through His Spirit (2 Cor. 6:16, Rom. 8:9-10, John 14:23). This verse (along with the surrounding verses) speak more to a believers’ ongoing sanctification and growth in their faith. Being strengthened by the Spirit, being rooted and grounded in love through faith are all part of the sanctification process Paul prays for. Why? It is entirely possible to grieve the Spirit rather than be strengthened by Him (cf. 4:30) and to choose the flesh over the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-17). In Revelation 3, Jesus is addressing the church in Laodicea who are in need of drastic reproof and discipline and are exhorted to repent. In verse 20, Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
We can damage the relationship with God and through our actions, grieve and create a chasm between our heavenly Father and us (see David in Psalm 32). William MacDonald sees this as a prayer that Christ would have full access in every area in our lives and that “He might not be grieved by sinful words, thoughts, motives, and deeds; that He might enjoy unbroken fellowship with the believer.” This conclusion is due to the Greek word we translate as “dwell” (katoikeō). It carries with it the meaning of taking up permanent residence and “settling in” as opposed to merely visiting. Walter Liefeld notes that this word “implies a settled residence, as though Christ is not only living in the believer but making himself thoroughly at home.”
This verse demonstrates that sanctification is not only an ongoing process, but a process in which “faith” is continuously needed. If all this is the case in a believer’s life, they will be “rooted and grounded in love.” One of the major themes of 1 John is centered around the reality that to truly have Christ by way of faith is to have love. A faith not rooted and grounded in love is not faith in Christ at all.
3:18-19- If we are strengthened by the Spirit, Christ is dwelling in us through faith, therefore being rooted and grounded in love, we will be able to understand the multidimensional love of Christ. While the subject of what is to be “comprehended” is not supplied in verse 18, the preceding and proceeding verses make “Christ’s love” the most likely subject. Hodge puts it like this: “Without being strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man, without the indwelling of Christ, without being rooted and grounded in love, it is impossible to have any adequate apprehension of the gospel or the love of Christ therein revealed.” Much can be made of Paul’s dimensional metaphors (height, length, depth, breadth) as well as the seemingly oxymoronic statement in verse 19 (“to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge”-ESV) but Ben Witherington III sees this primarily as hyperbole so that “the emphasis is on the grandeur and scope and immensity of what is being discussed.” Hyperbole or not, Campbell points out that there is also good truth in the idea that we can know God truly without knowing Him exhaustively. Campbell notes Paul’s intent with his seemingly oxymoronic statement: “In the same way, we can know the love of Christ truly, but not exhaustively.” A helpful metaphor is to consider how a small cup can be truly filled to the brim with water from the ocean without having the entire ocean being contained in the cup.
So it is with finite creatures trying to comprehend an infinite God. We can truly know God, but that doesn’t mean we know God exhaustively, just as the ocean can truly be in the cup, but the cup doesn’t contain the whole ocean.
Paul ends verse 19 by praying that the believer be “filled with all the fullness of God” (ESV). What does Paul mean by this? Wuest points out that the Greek preposition ‘eis’ is best rendered “unto” or “to the measure or standard of.” Indeed, the NIV translates verse 19 “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” In other words, Paul is praying that we be filled with God’s perfection. An astonishing thought! With this in mind, John Stott writes, “God’s fullness or perfection becomes the standard or level up to which we pray to be filled. The aspiration is the same in principle as that implied by the commands to be holy as God is holy, and to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect” (1 Peter 1:15-16, Matt. 5:48). Certainly, Paul has in mind here “our final state of perfection in heaven when together we enter the completeness of God’s purpose for us” as Stott goes on to note (1 John 3:2, Phil. 3:21, Col. 3:4). This expectation doesn’t absolve the believer of personal responsibility in spiritual growth as Paul will make crystal clear in the final 3 chapters and as we will study closely. The sanctification in our lives is very much a collaborative process.
3:20-21- The first three chapters have been jam packed with deep theology and unpacking the mysteries of God revealed in the gospel. Before moving on to the more practical exhortations in the second half of the letter, Paul draws this portion to a close with a doxology of praise to God. Paul does something similar at the end of chapter 11 in Romans, for example. All glory is attributed to God and His power and wisdom. As Paul points out in chapter 2, God has taken those who were dead in sin, made us alive with Christ and seated us in heavenly places! I think of Romans 5 in which Paul contrasts Adam with Christ. Through one act of disobedience, Adam plunged the world into corruption and sin. Mankind has no ability to break free from this bondage, we are all slaves to this corruption. However, through the powerful work of Christ beyond what we can imagine, God has overcome what man has broken. He has taken rebellious hearts and made them new and we now have His power working within us! Praise be to God!
Bibliography (works cited):
Barnes, Albert- Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible (Ephesians)
Campbell, Constantine- The Letter to the Ephesians, PNTC, 2023
Fausset, A. R.- Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Bible Commentary (Ephesians)
Foulkes, Francis- The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, TNTC, 1981
Hodge, Charles- A Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 1856
Keener, Craig- The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Ephesians)
Liefeld, Walter L.- Ephesians, IVPNTC, 1997
MacDonald, William- Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995 (Ephesians)
Snodgrass, Kyle- NIV Application Commentary, One-Vol. Edition (Ephesians)
Stott, John- The Message of Ephesians, BST, 1979
Thielman, Frank S.- Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament–Beale and Carson (Ephesians)
Turner, Max- New Bible Commentary, Ephesians
Witherington III, Ben- The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Captivity Epistles
Wuest, Kenneth- Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Vol. 1 (Ephesians)