Tyndale Open Study NotesEphesians 3

• Paul explains his special job in God's plan that has existed forever. His role is to announce God's grace to gentiles (non-Jewish people).

• For this reason: Paul wrote about the amazing salvation that God's grace brings to undeserving sinners under his judgment. He also wrote about the incredible revelation that gentiles can join God's new family, the people of God (chapters 1–2).

• the prisoner of Christ Jesus: Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned for sharing his faith with the gentiles.

Paul pauses his thought in 3:1 to talk about his role in God's plan. When Paul first converted, God gave him the special task of sharing his grace with the gentiles (see Acts 9:15–16; 22:14–15, 21; 26:17–18; Romans 1:5; 11:13–14; 15:15–18; Galatians 1:15–16; 2:7–9; Colossians 1:25–27; 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 4:17).

• Paul's earlier writing refers either to 1:9–10 (compare 2:11–22) or to an unknown letter.

• Paul understood God's mysterious plan because God revealed it to him (see study note on 1:8–10; 1:9–10; Galatians 1:11–12, 15–17; compare Acts 9:3–6; 1 Corinthians 12:1, 7; Galatians 2:2).

• God's holy apostles and prophets: See 1:1.

• The order of the terms apostles and prophets (see 2:20) suggests that Paul is referring to New Testament prophets, not Old Testament ones. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the gift of prophecy is more about delivering a special message from God than predicting the future (see 1 Corinthians 12:10).

God’s plan that has now been revealed to Paul is that the Gentiles are now included in God’s family, the body of Christ, just as Jews are. They share equally in God’s eternal blessings.

• grace: See study note on 1:2.

• I became a servant: Paul describes himself as a servant of:

  • the gospel (see also Colossians 1:23),

  • of God (1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 6:4),

  • of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:23),

  • of the church (Colossians 1:25), and

  • of the new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6).

• Paul thought he was the least deserving of all God's people because he once strongly persecuted believers (see 1 Corinthians 15:9; 1 Timothy 1:12–16).

• unsearchable riches of Christ: See Ephesians 1:3–14.

• The church has an important purpose in God's plan. It is meant to show to the entire universe how wise God is. The church displays God's wisdom in all its rich variety. This wisdom is shown through how God saves people from sin and brings them into his family (see Romans 11:33–36).

• the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms: See Ephesians 1:21 and corresponding study note.

We can approach God boldly and confidently. This means we can come into God's presence without fear or hesitation. This boldness in approaching God is not because of the good things we have done. Instead, our confidence comes from Christ's sacrifice for our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, his sacrifice was all-sufficient (see 2:18; Hebrews 4:14–16; 10:19–23; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 4:14).

because of my sufferings for you: Paul writes from jail as a prisoner (see 3:1). He understands that suffering is to be expected and that it works for good in a believer's life (see Romans 5:3–5; Colossians 1:24; 1 Thessalonians 3:3; 2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:2–4).

Paul ends this section (1:3–3:21) with a second prayer for the people he is writing to. The first prayer in 1:15–23 was for their spiritual understanding. The second prayer in 3:14–21 is for their spiritual growth and strength.

… for this reason I bow my knees before the Father: Paul continues what he began to say at the start of the chapter (see 3:1).

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name: There is a wordplay in the original Greek language between the words "Father" (patēr, 3:14) and family (patria). This wordplay shows a connection between God as Father and all the families that exist. As the Creator of everything, God made all families—both angelic families in heaven and human families on earth. This includes all people groups, whether gentile or Jewish (see 2:14–22; 3:6). Because God is the Creator of everything, he has access to glorious, unlimited resources. He does not hold back these resources but gladly gives them to his children.

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts: Having Christ make his home in your hearts is what gives believers spiritual power for life and ministry (see John 14:16–17, 23; 15:4–5; Galatians 2:20).

to comprehend the length and width and height and depth: Christ's love is great in every dimension (see Romans 8:38–39).

• to know this love: The Christian life is based on experiencing and personally knowing God's grace and love through Jesus Christ (see Romans 12:1).

• that surpasses knowledge: Christ's love is much greater than ordinary human love (see Romans 5:6–8).

• A believer's life becomes complete when filled with the fullness of life and power through Christ's presence (see Ephesians 1:23; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27). The believer then conforms to his image and reflects God (see Ephesians 4:14, 24; 5:1–2; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:16–18).

A doxology is a statement of praise to God. This doxology ends the first section of Paul's letter to the Ephesians (see also Romans 16:25–27; Galatians 1:5; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Timothy 4:18; Jude 1:24–25). It is Paul's way of praising God for all he has described in these chapters.

Now to Him … be the glory: God deserves nothing less because of the grace God has shown through Jesus Christ. The mighty power within us is God's power, which raised Christ from the dead (see 1:19–20). With that power, God can do much more than we ask or imagine, as God works in the lives of his children (see Romans 8:31–39; Philippians 4:13; Colossians 1:29).

The church, which is the community of believers including both Jews and Gentiles, should reflect and fully express God's glory.