The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed – Ephesians 3:1-13

Verse 1 confirms that Paul also wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians while in prison. Paul’s imprisonment can be understood in two ways:

1. Physical imprisonment
   Paul was in chains. He was a prisoner of the Roman authorities.

2. Spiritual imprisonment
   God had taken Paul “into His custody”. Compare Jer 20:9 and John 21:18:

"If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot."
(Jeremiah 20:9)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”
(John 21:18)

What is the mystery that has been revealed in Christ (verse 4)? It is that the whole world is justified before God because of Christ’s atoning work on the cross.

In Paul’s time, the Jews drew strict lines between those who would be saved and those who would be lost. That boundary ran along the borders of Judaism. But that boundary was in the wrong place—or, in fact, no such boundary exists at all. In every nation there are those who are saved by believing in Christ, and in every nation there are those who, by rejecting Christ, bring upon themselves the judgment of perdition.

But isn’t all of that already found in the Old Testament? Did it not become God’s will only during Jesus’ earthly life? No, but it was only Jesus and his ministry that revealed it. Until then, it had been hidden, kept secret (cf. verse 11).

Unfortunately, at times throughout the history of the Church, this secret has often remained just that — a secret. Missionary work to the whole world has been forgotten, and the Gospel has been thought of as belonging only to one’s own group, nation, and so on. New barriers have begun to be built.

Another danger threatening this great mystery is that it becomes too self-evident. That the Gospel no longer touches the heart, nor moves us to action.

Little and Big Paul

In verse 8, Paul “abuses” the Greek language. He actually says that he is “less than the least of Christians” (a comparative form of the superlative). By this, Paul—whose Greek name meant “small”—wanted to say that he is no great hero of the faith. It has all been God’s grace and the work of His Spirit (1 Cor 15:10). When a person becomes small, then God can become great.

But even though Paul considered himself the greatest of sinners (1 Tim 1:13–15), he could not belittle the task to which God had appointed him. As a sinner, he was the least; as the Lord’s apostle, his proclamation was most precious (verse 4).

The riches of the gospel are truly immeasurable. This Greek word could also be translated as "untraceable." Man cannot even imagine the extent of God’s grace.

One Sin - One Promise

The Bible teaches that, at its core, humans are guilty of only one sin: rejecting God. In John 1:29, sin is in the singular:

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
(John 1:29)

Although sin takes on many forms and “faces” in life, at the root of it all lies a single sin: the human heart’s turning away from God and becoming a follower of God’s adversary, the Enemy of the Soul.

Thus, all the manifold promises and prophecies of the Old Testament can be summarized into a single promise: the promise of the Messiah, the Savior. Jesus came to remove the curse of original sin (cf. Rom 5:12–19).

"Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men."
(Romans 5:18)

"For as by a man came death,
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
so also in Christ shall all be made alive."
(1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

Christ’s work built a bridge across the great chasm between humanity and God. But as a result, the divisions between Jews and Gentiles also disappeared. In verse 6, Paul uses three Greek words that begin with the prefix syn- = with:

1. the same right to the inheritance

2. members of the same body

3. the same promise

In the Protection of Christ

Verse 12 reminds us that we cannot approach the Holy God, who hates sin, except through Christ, as the Reformer Martin Luther taught. When we are “behind Christ’s back,” God does not see our sinfulness but rather Christ’s sinlessness and His work of atonement, through which He paid my debt to God as well. Even as Christians, we cannot belittle God's wrath toward sin, but we can trust in God's promises — that Jesus died for my sins as well.

Prayer Reveals Priorities – Ephesians 3:14-19

Only now does Paul continue the prayer he began in verse 1 but interrupted with his description of his apostolic mission (verses 2–13). Note the similar opening in verse 1: “For this reason…” and verse 14: “'For this reason..."

What we pray for from God reveals what we consider important. Of course, we do not pray for trivial matters, nor do we overlook the most important and pressing issues in our prayers. What do your prayers reveal about your priorities in life? What matters are important to you? What matters are left out of your prayers?

Paul prayed for the churches he had founded and for the Christians in them (see Eph 1:15–23). But he also prayed for the conversion of the Jews:

"Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved."
(Romans 10:1)

This is what Jacob the Righteous, the Lord’s brother, did as well. The Church Father Eusebius recounts in his Church History that Jacob’s knees were like those of a camel from constant prayer for Israel’s conversion.

The most common “prayer posture” among Jews was and is standing (Luke 18:11, the Pharisee and the tax collector in the synagogue). Kneeling and prostrating oneself on the ground was a sign of particular humility and often also of distress (Ezra 9:5–6 and Jesus in Gethsemane: Matt 26:39).

When Paul compares God the Father to earthly fathers, the point is not that we are merely using the metaphor of a father to describe God. Rather, the opposite is true: God is the model for all fathers. Freud and others, who believe that humans invented God as a Father because they needed a heavenly guardian, are therefore wrong. God’s love is not a reflection of human love, but the other way around.

Why does Paul pray for Christ to dwell in Christians? Does Christ not already dwell in Christians?

"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."
(Romans 8:9)

Yes, Christ dwells within us, but it is possible that we drive him away. Remaining in the faith — that is, Christ dwelling within us — is not a self-evident thing:

"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."
(Revelation 3:19-20)

Second, we must remember that Jesus wants to be the Lord of our entire lives, but we, on the other hand, often want to limit His influence. My life should be completely permeated by Christ:

"I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me."
(Galatians 2:20)

In verse 18, Paul paints a vivid picture of the breadth of Christ’s love. When we look to the sides (width), everything we see falls within the scope of Christ’s atoning work. When we look ahead (length), everything we see falls within the scope of Christ’s atoning work. When we look up (height), everything we see falls within the scope of Christ’s redemptive work. When we look down (depth), everything we see falls within the scope of Christ’s redemptive work.

We could therefore speak of the three-dimensionality or four-dimensionality of Christ’s love (depending on whether we consider looking up and down as a single dimension). Everything in the world is within the sphere of influence of Christ’s love.

John 3:16 sums up the Gospel in a single verse.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)

That verse vividly illustrates the three- or four-dimensional nature of Christ’s love:
1. Breadth: “For God so loved the world (= all people)...
2. Height: "...that He gave His only Son..."
3. Depth: "...so that whoever believes in Him may not perish..."
4. Length: "...but may have eternal life."

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts – Ephesians 3:20–21

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain and the snow
come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be
that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."
(Isaiah 55:8-11)

Thankfully, this is the case. If God’s possibilities were bound by our desires or expectations, we would be in trouble. We would never have understood to ask God for salvation by grace alone. We would have built various paths to salvation based on our own deeds, not the way of grace.

In praise, we thank God for who He is and what He is like. May the Holy Spirit reveal God and His works more clearly to us! Then our praise would flow abundantly.