eph_eph3 – From Death Into Life

COMMENTARY

B. Paul’s Stewardship of the Mystery (3:1-13). In this section of his letter to the Ephesians the Apostle Paul relates his ministry to the the mystery of God. After his opening statement (verse 1), he will explain in verses 2 through 7 what is this mystery and in verses 8 through 13 that his ministry is the stewardship of that mystery.

EPHESIANS 3:1

1. Opening Statement

3:1. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles —

With the words “For this reason” the writer of this letter refers back to the previous section of the letter ( 2:11-22) where he has explained how God has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles in one body. The writer here identifies himself as “I, Paul, the prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles“. This identification of the writer as “Paul” has been important to the theological science of New Testament Introduction in establishing the authorship of this letter. And the identification of himself as “the prisoner for Christ Jesus” has also been important in establishing when and where this letter was written. It was written by the Apostle Paul when in he was imprisoned in Rome. See the Introduction to the commentary on this letter for a full discussion of these problems of authorship, time and place of the writing of this letter. It is interesting that Paul here refers to himself as “the prisoner for Christ Jesus”, indicating what was the cause of his imprisonment; it was &qout;for Christ Jesus” that he was imprisoned ( Eph. 4:1; Acts 24:5, 14; 26:12-23, 31-32) and “on behalf of you Gentiles” (Acts 22:21; 26:16-20; 28:28). Some commentators see verses 2 through 13 as a digression, because the opening words of this verse “For this reason” (touto charin) are repeated at the beginning of verse 14 and this is taken to mean that Paul is resuming his thought after the parenthesis of verses 2 through 13. The repetition of the phrase “For this reason” does not necessarily mean a resumption after a digression; it just indicates the reason for what follows is the previous statements. Thus at the end of this verse Paul is not digressing but is breaking off his thought to explains the mystery of Christ that was revealed to him (3:2-7) and his stewardship of that mystery (3:8-13).

EPHESIANS 3:2-7

2. The Mystery of Christ (3:2-7). In this section Paul explains how the mystery of Christ was revealed to him.

2. if indeed that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3. that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written before briefly. 4. When you read this you can realize my understanding into the mystery of Christ, 5. which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6. that is, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me according to the working of his power.

3:2. “if indeed that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,” —

As Paul speaks of himself as “the prisoner of Christ Jesus on the behalf of you Gentile”, he is reminded that that imprisonment was a direct consequence of his activity as the apostle to Gentiles. This leads him to speak about that calling. The Greek words ei ge ekousate translated “if indeed that you have heard” at the beginning of this verse does not necessarily imply that they had not heard of it, but it is probably a rhetorical way of reminding them of what they already knew and to introduce his discussion of it. The Greek word, oikonomia, which is here translated “stewardship,” means literally “the management of the house,” hence it refers to either “the office of a steward” (Luke 16:2-4) or “the work of a steward,” that is, “management, administration, stewardship” (I Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:9; Col. 1:25; I Tim. 1:4). Here it is the latter: it is the “stewardship of God’s grace” which Paul was appointed to administer not only to proclaim the gospel of the grace of God to the Gentiles, but to incorporate them as full members into the people of God. This stewardship of God’s grace to the Gentiles was given to Paul himself by the grace of God ( Eph. 3:7). The grace of God is the love of God acting in giving what is needed, that is, grace gives. And the stewardship of God’s grace was given to Paul “for you”, that is, for his Gentile readers. They are the recipients of God’s grace.

3:3. “that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written before briefly.” —

As we saw in our note on Eph. 1:9, the Greek word, musterion, which is here translated “mystery,” originally meant “that which is known to the initiated (mustes), a secret doctrine.” In the NT it is something previously concealed but is now revealed; it is a revealed secret. This mystery was made known to Paul by revelation. Paul here says that he had previously written briefly that this mystery was made known to him by revelation. To what passage in his correspondence Paul is here referring to is matter of some dispute. It is most probable that he is here referring back to what he has already said in this letter, especially to Eph. 1:9.

3:4. “When you read this you can realize my understanding into the mystery of Christ,” —

The opening words of this verse, “When you read this”, Paul is referring either to what he has written in this letter previously in verse 3 above). This knowledge of the mystery was not a personal discovery for which he can take credit. It was the gift of God by His Spirit. Paul purpose here is not self-glorification but was to emphasize that God is the source of this revealed secret.

3:5. “which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;” —

This secret was not known by the men of previous generations, because God had not revealed to them. But this revelation was given now to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit of God. Paul here obviously includes himself among “His holy apostles”. They are holy because they they have been set apart for the task they have been sent to do. Paul’s use of the adjective “holy” is different from the way the word is understood today. It does not mean “without sin” or “sinlessly perfect”; the Biblical meaning is “to be set apart for” or “consecrated”. According to Eph. 2:20 the apostles and prophets are the foundation of the building of God and this mystery is the foundation teaching of His holy apostles and prophets.

3:6. “that is, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” —

What is this mystery? In this verse Paul tells what is this mystery that was revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. There are three elements to this revealed secret:

(a) that the Gentiles are fellow heirs with the Jews,

(b) that the Gentiles are members of the same body with the Jews,

(c) that the Gentiles are partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Note carefully what was known and not known formerly. That God’s blessing was to be extended to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews was a recurrent theme of Old Testament prophecy, from the promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3) onwards. In Rom. 15:9-12 Paul quotes a string of passages from all three divisions of the Old Testament (The Law, Deut. 32:43; The Prophets, Isa. 11:10; and The Writings, Psa. 18:44; 117:1) to show that the Gentiles share in God’s blessings to the Jews. Compare the quotation of Isa. 49:6 in Acts 13:47 where Paul justifies his apostolic ministry of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. But what was not revealed in the Old Testament is the fact that these blessings of the gospel involved the creation of “one new man” ( Eph. 2:15) by the incorporation of Jewish and Gentile believers alike as fellow-members of the same body, the body of Christ.

This is the mystery that was revealed now to the holy apostles and prophets. Paul here uses three Greek words to express this joint participation in the one new man: synkleronomos, joint-heirs to show that their inhertance was not based human birth; synsomos, concorporation or joint-members of the same body of Christ; and symmetochos, joint-sharers in the covenant promises in Christ Jesus.
And that these unexpected benefites God designed for both Jew and Gentile in ages past have now been brought into reality in Christ Jesus and through the preaching of the gospel.

This statement of the mystery of Christ raises a problem. In his companion letter to the Colossians, Paul says that “the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to the saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:25-27). This seems to be saying that the mystery is Christ in you and appears to be contrary to what Paul is saying here in this letter, that is, you are in Christ. But these are not contrary and incompatible truths. These are two complementary truths and are two aspects of the same mystery. These are two sides of the believers’ relation to Christ; they are in Christ and Christ in them. Those who want to deny a common authorship to these two letters want to assert that there is a difference in the teachings in these two letters. But there is no necessity to regard the meaning of the mystery in Colossians and in Ephesians as being contradictory and incompatible.

3:7. “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me according to the working of his power.” —

Paul now states his part in God’s mystery. By the gift of God’s grace he was made a minister. It was not Paul’s plan or doing, but the working of God’s power. Paul elsewhere tells us how when he was on way to persecute the believers in Damascus, the risen and ascended Jesus Christ stopped him on the road and revealed Himself to Paul (Acts 26:9-18). This was definitely the working of the power of God. It changed not only his direction on the road, but the direction of his life; he was made a minister of the gospel.

EPHESIANS 3:8-13

3. The Stewardship of the Mystery (3:8-13). In this section Paul explains the character of his stewardship of the mystery of Christ.

8. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9. and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which was hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10. that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. 11. This was according to the eternal purpose which He did in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12. in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in Him. 13. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

3:8. “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” —

Paul cannot stop with his speaking of “the gift of God’s grace” without making further comments on it. Grace was shown to him though he was “the very least of all the saints”. He invents this comparative of a superlative (elachistotero) translated “very least” to express not his unworthiness but to express that God’s grace does not depend upon our worth. And this is not a feigned humility, but is a statement based on the fact that he was a persecutor of the church of God (as in I Cor. 15:9-10; Gal. 1:13-16; I Tim. 1:12-14). He is not here comparing himself to others; if he was, he would speak as he does in II Cor. 12:11; “For I am not inferior to these superlative apostles. even if I am nothing.” Paul is here magnifying the grace of God, God acting in love to bestow His gifts. Grace gives. Grace is more than unmerited favor; grace is God giving His gift. God in His grace gave Paul not only salvation but also gave him a ministry, “to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”. Paul has already spoken of the “riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7; 2:7, where he adds the adjective huperballon, translated “immeasurable, exceeding, surpassing”); here he adds the adjective (anexichniaston) translated “unsearchable, unfathomable” to describe the riches of Christ. This adjective literally means “that cannot be traced out”; it is the negative (Greek a) of “to trace out” (exichniazo). It is used in the Septuagint of the works of God (Job 5:9; 9:10). These “unsearchable riches” are not of the message of the gospel, nor of the doctrine of Christ, but of Christ Himself. Paul was proclaiming not just riches of a message or of a doctrine, but the riches of Christ Himself. He was introducing Christ to the Gentiles who had not heard of Him before. Having himself experienced those “unsearchable riches of Christ”, Paul chould most effectively preach them “to the Gentiles”; they like Paul were on the outside.

3:9. “and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which was hidden for ages in God who created all things;” —

There are three textual problems in the Greek text of this verse.

a. Some ancient Greek texts and authorities omit the pantos after the verb photisai so that instead of translating the opening phrase, “to make all men to see what is” (KJV, RSV) it should be translated as our text above, “to bring to light what is” (NAS). This omission follows Paul’s other uses of this verb photisei in I Cor. 4:5 and II Tim. 1:10 and should be taken to mean “showing forth” or “to bring to light”.

b. The KJV reading “fellowship” in this verse is a translation of the Greek word koinonia which is supported by very few ancient Greek texts of lesser importance; the weight of evidence supports as the original text the Greek word oikonomia, translated “dispensation” (RV), or “administration” (NAS, NIV), or “plan” (RSV). As was discussed in verse 2 above, the Greek word, oikonomia, which is here translated “stewardship,” means literally “the management of the house,” hence it refers to either “the office of a steward” (Luke 16:2-4) or “the work of a steward,” that is, “management, administration, stewardship” (I Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:9; Col. 1:25; I Tim. 1:4). Here it is the latter: it is “the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God”. This is the mystery of which Paul spoke in verses 3 through 6 above.

c. The KJV phrase at the end of the verse, “by Jesus Christ”, are not in the best ancient Greek texts, and they were probably added as a comment, true in itself, but it changes the direction of Paul’s thought. Paul is not here talking about Christ as the agent of creation, but of the purpose and plan of God. God is spoken of here as the One “who created all things” in order to show that this was the plan and purpose of God from the beginning of creation, though in His wisdom it was His plan to reveal it to man in stages, and finally through the church.

3:10. “that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” —

Paul here states what was to be accomplished by “administration of the mystery”. That which is not known by “the principalities and powers in heavenly places”, that is, the manifold wisdom of God, is now made known to them through the church. Paul has previously spoken of the “wisdom” in which the grace of God was made to abound ( Eph. 1:8) and he has prayed that God will give to his readers “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the full knowledge of Him” ( Eph. 1:17). Here Paul speaks of the source of that wisdom. “the manifold wisdom of God” and describes it as “manifold”. The Greek word polupoikilos here translated “manifold” is a compound adjective of polus (“many”) and poikilos (“colored”, see I Pet. 4:10); it was used by classical Greek writers to refer to a cloth with a pattern of endless variety of colors in flowers; hence, variegrated. This “manifold wisdom of God” has been made known to “the principalities and powers in heavenly places”, that is, the rulers (arche) and authorities (exousias) in heaven (see Eph. 1:20). These spiritual beings were given a prominent place in Gnosticism that was being developed at this time. Paul accepted the existence of these beings, but insisted that they are created and limited beings, some good and some evil. Paul is saying here that their knowledge is limited and that they are not gods. Gnosticism believed that they were gods and that they knew everything and that acceptance of their knowledge (gnosis) that they made known was salvation. Paul rejects this doctrine of salvation by knowledge and insists that salvation is by the grace of God through faith (Eph. 2: 5, 2:8). But even though salvation is not by knowledge this salvation by grace through faith does give a true knowledge of God and His will. Paul will speak of this knowledge later ( 3:19).

3:11. “This was according to the eternal purpose which He did in Christ Jesus our Lord,” —

Paul in this verse connects this making known to “the principalities and powers in heavenly places” the “manifold wisdom of God” with the eternal purpose of God; it “was according to the eternal purpose which He did in Christ Jesus our Lord”. God’s plan is not ad hoc, on the spur of the moment, but one conceived in eternity and of eternal scope. And Christ is the agent of carrying out that purpose and accomplishing that plan. And what was this that God “did in Christ Jesus our Lord”? Paul answers this in the next verse.

3:12. “in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in Him.” —

In Christ Jesus our Lord, God accomplished our salvation from death to life; from separation from God to fellowship with God, so that “we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in Him”. The Greek word parresias translated “boldness” means basically “freedom of speech, plainness and openness of speech”. It is often used of boldness before men, as in Acts 4:31, Phil. 1:20, and Eph. 6:20, the absence of fear and shame. Here it is used of a similar absence of fear and shame in approaching God. The writer of Hebrews speaks of the same boldness in Heb. 4:16 and 10:19. To this “boldness” Paul links the word prosagoge translated “access” which he had previously used in Eph. 2:18, which literally means “a bringing to”. In view of the following phrase the intransitive use of the word seems correct; it is “access in confidence”. This phrase expresses a thought very similar to that of boldness, but it is more personal. A personal confidence in God that gives this openness and boldness. This confidence is “through faith in Him”; through faith one believes that God loves him and receives the gift of God’s grace. Faith is more than mere intellectual belief, it is personal trust and confidence in God.

3:13. “So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” —

Because of the ambiguity of the Greek text, there are three interpretations possible.

a. Since there is no subject of the second verb, it could be taken to be “I ask that I do not lose heart”. But in view of the context, this interpretation seems unlikely.

b. Or it could be taken to be a prayer, as the RV can be understood: “I ask that you faint not”. But this Greek verb aitoumai is not normally understood to mean “to ask in prayer” unless the name of God is mentioned as the One to whom the request is made.

c. It is more likely, as the KJV, RSV, etc., that it is an entreaty addressed to his readers. Paul is aware that his readers were tempted to lose heart because he, as the apostle to the Gentiles, was in prison. This they must not do, since his suffering was for them and is their glory. Paul sees his suffering as sharing in the sufferings of Christ (Rom. 8:17; Col. 1:24) as Paul learned on his Damascus road experience (Acts 9:4-5). The suffering of Christ’s people are Christ’s own suffering. And the suffering of Paul for his readers was their glory. Since the purpose of God was to bless the Gentiles (Gen. 12:3-4), Paul saw his ministry as sharing that blessing and his suffering in the course of his ministry as part of that sharing.

EPHESIANS 3:14-21

C. Paul’s Second Prayer for his readers. What Paul has just written about the mystery of Christ and his stewardship of the mystery leads him to pray for his readers. Some commentators see this prayer as a continuation of Paul’s first prayer in chapter 1:15-23. But the phrase at the beginning of verse 14 “For this reason” refers immediately to what Paul has just written concerning the mystery of Christ and his stewardship of it; his prayer for them is part of his ministry and his stewardship of the mystery of Christ.

EPHESIANS 3:14-19

1. The Prayer for the readers (3:14-19). In this second prayer for his readers, after his introductory words in verses 14 and 15, Paul makes three requests for his readers:

(a) that they be strengthen with power through His Spirit in the inner man (3:16-17),

(b) that they may fully grasp and know the love of Christ ( 3:18), and

14. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15. from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named, 16. in order that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17. Christ to dwell in your hearts through faith, being rooted and grounded in love; 18. in order that you may be fully able to grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19. and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

3:14. “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,” —

Some commentators, because the opening words of verse 1 “For this reason” (touto charin) are repeated here at the beginning of this verse, see verses 2 through 13 as a digression and that Paul is resuming at this verses 14 his thought after the parenthesis. But the repetition of the phrase “For this reason” does not necessarily mean a resumption after a digression; it just indicates the reason for what follows is in the previous statements. Thus the reason that Paul bows his knees before the Father is given in verses 12 and 13; it is because “we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in Him”, that Paul bows his knees before the Father. And it is because he does not want them to lose heart concerning his sufferings, that Paul bows his knees in prayer before the Father to intercede for them.

3:15. “from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named,” —

Paul here identifies the heavenly Father as the source of all fatherhood that is. The translation of patria by “family” here obscures for the English reader the close relation of this word to the word pater (“Father”) in the preceding verse. Paul is saying here that every species of fatherhood in the universe (“in heaven and on earth”) is derived from the original, archetypal Fatherhood of God. And the nearer any fatherhood, natural and spiritual, approaches in character to God’s perfect Fatherhood, the more truly does it manifest the fatherhood as God intended it to be. Also the KJV translation as “the whole family” is incorrect, because it would require the presence of a definite article in the Greek, which is absent. Paul is here speaking concerning the character of fatherhood, and not specific instances of fatherhood. They are named “father” because they have the character of fatherhood. Jesus in Matthew 7:11 describes the character of fatherhood when He says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those ask Him.” Accordingly this reference to God as Father gives the basis for Paul’s prayer for his readers.

3:16. “in order that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,” —

It is not “out of” but “according to” the riches of His glory that God grants the requests made to Him. The requests are to be granted not just from the riches of God’s glory as the source but according to the riches of God’s glory as the measure of the quality of the grants. And the answer to the requests that Paul makes to the Father must have a divine quality because it is for his readers “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man”. This is the first request that Paul is praying for. The Greek verb krataiothenai translated here “to be strengthened” means “to make strong”; it is derived from the Greek noun kratos which means “strength” and referred originally in early Greek literature, Homer, etc., to bodily strength. The related Greek verb krateo means “to be strong, mighty”, hence, “to get possession of, obtain, to take hold of” (Matt. 9:25; Mark 1:31; 5:41; 9:27; Luke 8:54), and “to hold, hold fast”, literally (Rev. 2:1) and metaphorically, (Acts 2:24; Col. 2:19; Heb. 4:14; 5:18; Rev. 2:13, 25; 3:11). The verb here in this verse is a later form of the verb kratuno which is also derived from the noun kratos; it occurs four times in the NT: Luke 1:80; 2:40; I Cor. 16:13; Eph. 3:16; and means “to strengthen”, and as passive, “to wax strong”. Here Paul uses the verb with the meaning: to be made spiritual strong “with power through His Spirit in the inner man”. Paul wants his readers to be equipped with power (dunamis) that makes them able to live and stand firm in Christ (cf. I Cor. 16:13).

3:17. “Christ to dwell in your hearts through faith, being rooted and grounded in love;” —

Paul here makes specific what he means by his request that his readers “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man”; it is that Christ should dwell in their hearts through faith. Christ Himself is the power of God and when He dwells through the Spirit in their hearts they will be strengthened in the inner man. It is through the Spirit of God that Christ dwells in their heart, for the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:2) and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not have Christ dwelling in their hearts (Rom. 8:9). This is where faith comes in; it is through faith that Christ dwells in their heart. It is by a choice of faith that one opens the door and invites Christ to come in (Rev. 3:20). The verb that Paul uses here katoikai that is translated “to dwell” is significant; it indicates a permanent residence in contrast to the verb parokein (Luke 24:18; Heb. 11:9) and the noun paroikos ( Eph. 2:19; I Pet. 2:11), which indicates a transitory dwelling in a place. It is through faith that Christ is not only invited into their heart but is through faith that Christ has permanent residence in one’s heart. The heart here is not the physical organ but it is the seat of choice in the human person (spirit) and the dwelling place of the Spirit of Christ. And He has shed aboard [poured out] in our hearts the love of God (Rom. 5:5). Since love as well as faith is the choice of the will, it is from the heart that faith and love must come. Faith chooses to receive the gift of God’s love, Jesus Christ, and with Him dwelling in our heart through faith, we are rooted and grounded in love. God’s love is the ground out of which our love grows. But the Greek participle tethemeliomenoi translated “grounded” does not refer to the “ground” but rather refers to a foundation (themelios) and means “having been founded” or “to be established on a foundation” (Matt. 7:25). Christ is the foundation, whether of one’s life or ministry; as Paul says, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 3:10).

3:18. “in order that you may be fully able to grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,” —

In verses 16 and 17 Paul states his first request for his readers in his prayer to God the Father; in this verse and the next he states his second request for them; that they may be fully able to grasp and to know the love of Christ. The phrase “you may be fully able to grasp” is the translation of two Greek verbs, exischusete which is translated “you may be fully able” and katalabesthai which is translated “to grasp”. The first verb means literally “to have the strength” and this is why Paul prayed in his first request that they might be “strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man” ( Eph. 3:16). The second verb is an infinitive and is translated “to grasp”. It means literally “to lay hold of, to seize, to appropriate” (Mark 9:18; I Cor. 9:24; Phil. 3:12-13) and of a mental action, “to apprehend, to comprehend” (Acts 4:13; 10:34; 25:25), and so here. This comprehension is not possible apart from the strengthing of the Holy Spirit but is available to all the saints. This is not secret knowledge limited to a few insiders as taught by the Gnostics, but is available to all that will receive Christ. What is to be grasped? Paul does not say in this verse what is the object of this knowledge – that he tells us in the next verse – but here indicates the scope of this knowledge, “what is the breadth and length and height and depth” of it.

3:19. “and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.” —

The object of this knowledge is “the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge”. Of this knowledge Gnosticism knows nothing, because it is not a knowledge grasp by the mind, it is not intellectual knowledge, but it is a heart knowledge that is revealed to the heart and received by the heart. This knowledge is not knowledge of something but of a person, God the Father and of Jesus Christ, His Son. What is revealed from them is the love of God and the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge. Human knowledge that seeks to reason from what is seen to what is not seen can not comprehend the invisible God; God must reveal Himself in order that man can know Him. When that reelation is received by faith, the believer has not just a knowledge about God but a knowledge of God Himself that they “may be filled unto all the fullness of God”. It is not some part of God that we receive when we receive Christ, but all the fullness of God, because we receive not just something from God, but God Himself (John 1:16).

EPHESIANS 3:20-21

2. A Doxology (3:20-21). Paul concludes his second prayer for his readers with a doxology, a praise of God glorifying Him. With this second prayer and doxology he ends the first part and doctrinal section of his letter.

20. Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, 21. to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

3:20. “Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,” —

In these opening words of the doxology, Paul speaks directly to God, connecting his readers to His power by which God is at work within them (of which he has already spoken in verse 16) and by which God’s generosity and ability to do goes beyond what they may ask or think. God is not limited to what they ask of Him or what they think that He can or will do for them.

3:21. “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.” —

This is the doxology proper. Paul ascribes glory to God, but not his glorifying of God but the glory given to God in the church and in Christ. Christ glorified God and the church as His body glorifies Him, and this is “to all generations, for ever and ever”, or literally, “to all the generations of the age of the ages” (RV). There shall be no end to the praise and the glorification of God. And appropriately, Paul end with “Amen”, that is, so be it or let it be true. This is not only a solemn end to a prayer, but is assent to what has been requested and to the truth of what is asserted about God and His works.