New Testament · Letter

Ephesians 3

The Mystery Revealed

Paul is a prisoner, but the mystery he carries is bigger than any chain. Gentiles are fellow heirs, and God's wisdom is being displayed to cosmic powers.

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Read the commentary What this chapter means, the background behind it, and why it still matters

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1For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

13Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Commentary

Ephesians 3, explained

What Ephesians 3 is saying

Paul reveals 'the mystery of Christ'—that Gentiles are co-heirs (synklēronoma), co-members (syssōma), and co-sharers (symmetocha) of the promise in Christ Jesus. This mystery, hidden for ages, is now revealed through the apostles and prophets, and the church itself serves as the demonstration of God's manifold wisdom (polypoikilos sophia) to the cosmic powers. Paul's prayer reaches its climax: to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and to be filled with all the fullness of God.

The background behind it

The 'mystery' terminology draws on Jewish apocalyptic vocabulary for divine secrets now unveiled in the eschatological era. The three syn- compounds (co-heirs, co-body, co-sharers) are likely Pauline coinages emphasizing the radical togetherness of Jewish and Gentile believers. Paul's self-description as 'the very least of all the saints' (elachistoterō) uses a comparative form of a superlative—an intentional grammatical impossibility.

Themes running underneath

The cosmic ecclesiology of Ephesians reaches its apex: the church's united existence is God's demonstration to the principalities and powers of His wisdom. The mystery is fundamentally corporate—Gentile inclusion is not an afterthought but the revelation of God's eternal purpose. Paul's prayer for comprehension of love's dimensions (breadth, length, height, depth) points to an inexhaustible reality.

Why it still matters

The church's visible unity is not merely a social good but a cosmic witness. Paul's prayer challenges believers to seek experiential knowledge of a love that can never be fully comprehended—an infinite pursuit.

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