Ephesians 3

     Paul continues to reveal how God in Christ accomplishes redemption for all kinds of people, which he says is the great mystery hidden from the ages.  The Israel of God, the commonwealth of the faithful, includes people of every nation, tribe, and tongue who have believed God’s promises now made known in Jesus Christ.  There is no distinction.  God is not a respecter of persons.

     Dispensationalist Christians error by a false eschatology that sees the last days as a fast approaching (but ever receding) future event rather than a present reality, and by making distinctions between Jews and Gentiles which the NT takes great pains to dispel.  (Cf, Acts 10:34-35; Ro.2:11, 28-29; 9:6- 8; 10:11-12; Gal.3:7, 29; Eph.2:11-3: 13; Php.3:3; and a host of others).  See notes at Ro.11:19-27, a passage easily distorted by such errors, especially Ro.11:26.

     3:1-2.  Paul expects that they have heard of him and his special calling to the Gentiles, but it is clear that he assumes most of them have not heard of it from him personally (2).

     3:3-5.  The revelation of the mystery about which he wrote before in brief is probably not in reference to previous letters, but to passages just written, e.g.,1:3-14.  This mystery of God’s redemptive purpose in Christ was until now hidden, but now revealed by the NT holy apostles and prophets in (or by) the Spirit (5).  The word holy is used in the same sense that the common elements of bread and wine in communion become holy; not by a quality in themselves, but by their special use.

     3:6.  This verse clearly states what was before veiled in a mystery and now is made known; that the Gentiles are included as heirs and fellow members of the one body (Christ’s body), and share in the promise of Christ’s resurrection life, and the inheritance of all things in him.

     3:7-13.  God uses the weak things (8; 1 Cor.15:9) to make known his wisdom and power (1 Cor.1:26-31).

     3:10.  Rulers and authorities in the heavenly places; i.e., angels, but here the angelic spiritual powers of wickedness are most likely (Eph.2:2, 6:12; Acts 26:18; 1 Cor.2:7-8; Col.2:15.  But cf. Heb.1:6, 14; 1 Pet.1:12, where good angels rejoice to see these things).  As the faithfulness of Job was a demonstration and humiliation to Satan observed in heaven (where Job knew nothing of it), so the church faithful under attack is a reminder to Satan of his great defeat when Christ in weakness took the full force of his fury on the cross for his people, and in doing so crushed Satan and the power of death.

     3:11.  God’s eternal purpose…carried out in Christ; The covenant between the Father and the Son from all eternity was a single consistent predestined plan that can’t be thwarted by chance, or the freewill choices of free agents, whether angels or men.

     3:12-13.  In Christ we have boldness and confident access;  “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Ro.8:31)  There are no priests or sacrifices needed except Christ to secure our access to God and acceptance by God, and this for even the least of all saints (8), whether they be Jew or Gentile.

     3:14-16.  Salvation for men of every kind is a grant by the Father, through the Son, and with the power of the Holy Spirit bringing life to the inner man.

     3:17-19.  These verses contain one of the many paradoxes of the faith.  In this case, that we may comprehend and know the love God has for us in Christ, which (being infinite) surpasses knowledge.

     3:20-21.  Not only is God’s power in us able to do more than we can ask or think, but he does it in Christ Jesus for all the church in every generation since the world began, now and forever, and all to his own glory.