Ephesians 3:1-11

Eph 3:1

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

What cause? It is the cause of the glorious gospel. According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. (1 Timothy 1:11) Paul was a prisoner of Jesus Christ, held captive in “gospel bonds.” Although Paul was a prisoner of Rome, he was stating that he was a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Paul was a prisoner because he had brought the truth of the Gospel and his enemies thought that by shutting him up in prison they would stop the spreading of the gospel. Four of the meatiest books in the Bible were penned by Paul while he was a prisoner.

Eph 3:2

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

Dispensation - a stewardship or management - Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; (Colossians 1:25) The word is never used as a period of time as Scofield and other pre-mils use it. They take the word and misuse it to endorse the fabricated belief system of Dispensationalism. Even the secular dictionary does not define the term as a term of time periods.

From the Merriam Webster On-Line Dictionary 2.5

Main Entry: dis-pen-sa-tion
Function: noun
Date:14th century

1 a : a general state or ordering of things; specifically : a system of revealed commands and promises regulating human affairs b : a particular arrangement or provision especially of providence or nature
2 a : an exemption from a law or from an impediment, vow, or oath b : a formal authorization
3 a : the act of dispensing b : something dispensed or distributed
dis-pen-sa-tion-al - adjective

Notice the stewardship of the gospel is to “you-ward.” This means that the Gospel in the Bible is written toward or for the believer. It is important to know that to unbelievers the Bible is a book of judgment. Even when we take the laws from the Bible and transplant them to society, they are laws of judgment. For example, “Thou shalt not steal” carries with it judicial penalty as does murder, or perjury (false witness).

Eph 3:3

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

Revelation - (apokalupsis) something which is undiscoverable by human means

Mystery - something that is revealed at a certain time when God chooses to reveal it.

Here Paul speaks about the fact that God gave him revelation to understand the mystery. Revelation was still being given verbally through dreams or visions to the Apostles because the Bible was not yet completed. It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 12:1) Once the Bible was completed the giving of divine revelation would cease and the word of God we are to look to is the written word of God. The great mystery which the Apostle Paul was revealing to his readers and hearers was the mystery that Christ was to come and bring salvation even unto the Gentiles. That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3:6) Paul had touched on this subject in the past but here he presents it more fully and plainly.

{25} Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; {26} Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: {27} To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Colossians 1:25-27

Eph 3:4

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

The apostle Paul is now making the mystery of the ages plain to the Ephesians as they continue to read and study his letter. All the mysteries of Christ were foreshadowed by the feasts and festivals which Israel was required to keep. At the time they did not know that these feasts and festivals pointed to Christ who would be revealed as the mystery and because Paul was given these things by direct revelation, he is able to explain his knowledge of the mystery which would make the feasts and festivals have purpose. They do not stand on their own but they had purpose in conveying a spiritual truth about the coming of Christ.

Eph 3:5

Which 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;

The other ages would be the time of the old covenant even though the new covenant ran concurrently with it. This would also constitute the time of the Patriarchs and the time of Job being about 2000 B.C. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. (Genesis 17:21) Just as God set the time when Sarah was to bear Isaac, God chose not to reveal to these men before the time of Christ the mystery of his coming and Messiahship. He had a set time when he would do this and he revealed the mystery through the writings of the Apostles Paul and Peter.

If you notice the use of the word “now” in this verse which means that God’s timing was now to reveal the mystery of Christ to the Jews and also to the Gentile world. Look back at Colossians 1:26. Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: (Colossians 1:26) Notice that Paul uses the term “now” to the Colossians that the time was now when God was revealing the mystery of Christ. Even while Christ was on earth the Pharisees and Sadducees had no idea who he was because even at that time the mystery was not revealed.

{10} Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: {11} Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. {12} Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:10-12) If you notice that even the apostle Peter uses the word “now.” The prophets of old had desired to look into the salvation but they did not have the understanding as those apostles who were on the New Testament side of the cross. The spirit of Christ had indwelled those prophets before the time of the cross and yet because the information was not revealed to them, they could not understand. The time was not yet but now was the time of revealing through the Apostles which would become part of the eternal Scriptures.

The Holy Apostles and those who have the gift of the prophet in the New Testament were now receiving the revelation of the mystery of Christ. Now those who have become saved will also begin to proclaim the mystery of Christ to others as the gospel goes out to the world through the body of believers. Now we look at a verse of Scripture which we looked at in the last chapter which now takes on new meaning because of the mystery. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Ephesians 2:20) In Ephesians 2:20, the true believer must build their life and message upon the Apostles and Prophets which is to us the written word of God. We are not to build our gospel message upon opinion, commentaries, or personal bias.

The reason we do not build upon our own personal message is because the revelation of the mystery was made to the Apostles and Prophets by the Holy Spirit which means it came directly from God and not men. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:12) In Galatians 1:12 the Apostle Paul is stating that what he is conveying to his readers and hearers was not created by man but he received it by revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why it is dangerous to change the meanings of passages of scriptures because they come from the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Eph 3:6

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

The Jews of ancient Israel had looked at the Gentiles and saw them unclean as dogs and would never had believed that they would become part of God’s salvation plan. In fact it would be the Gentiles that would take the gospel to the ends of the earth through missions. The Jews had thought that only they were privy to the blessings and that they were God’s only people on earth. The problem is that they still think that way and have not partaken in any evangelism to the world because they themselves remain in darkness through their present hostility to the Lord Jesus Christ.