Combined Bible Commentary
Ephesians 3:8
Paul's Unique Commission
Paul's Unique Commission
Verse 8. _LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS_] ελαχιστοτερω παντων αγιων. As the design of the apostle was to _magnify_ the grace of Christ in the salvation of the world, he uses every precaution to p...
UNTO ME, WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS - This is one of the class of expressions unique to Paul. The ordinary terms of language do not express the idea which he wishes to convey, and a word...
3. THE MYSTERY MADE KNOWN Chapter S 2:11-3:21 _ 1. The condition of the Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11)_ 2. But now in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:13) 3. The new and great relationship (Ephesians 2
A DIGRESSION. PAUL THE PRISONER AND HIS RELATION TO THE MYSTERY. A knowledge of Paul's story may be presumed among those who read this letter: they will have heard how he was entrusted with the missio...
It is to me, who am less than the least of all God's consecrated people. that this privilege has been given the privilege of preaching to the Gentiles the wealth of Christ, the full story of which no...
PRISON AND PRIVILEGES (Ephesians 3:1-13) To understand the connection of thought in this passage it has to be noted that Ephesians 3:2-13 are one long parenthesis. The for this cause of Ephesians 3:1...
UNTO. To. WHO... LEAST. to the less than the least. Greek. _elachistoteros._ Only here. That is what Paul _was._ What he became, see 1 Corinthians 15:10 (laboured more abundantly, &c). SAINTS. In Eph...
_Unto me_ A slight pause and new start here occurs in the long parenthesis. The thought of his commission, and of the Divine power which enabled him, leads by contrast to the thought of the personal i...
ἘΜΟῚ ΤΩ͂Ι ἘΛΑΧΙΣΤΟΤΈΡΩΙ ΠΆΝΤΩΝ ἉΓΊΩΝ. The thought of the commission instinctively wakens a sense of his own unworthiness. Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:8. The same trait is noticeable in the Pastorals (1 Timot...
Ephesians 2:15. ΚΑΤΑΡΓΉΣΑΣ אAB &c. καταρτίσας D*. Ephesians 2:21. ΠΑ͂ΣΑ ΟἸΚΟΔΟΜῊ א*BDG _al_ Clem Orig Chrys. πᾶσα ἡ οἰκ. א*ACP _al mult_. Ephesians 3:5. Τ. ἉΓΊΟΙΣ�. ΠΡΟΦΉΤΑΙΣ אAC &c.
ΈΛΑΧΙΣΤΟΤΈΡΩ (G1646) _dat. сотр._ superl, от ΈΛΆΧΙΣΤΟΣ (BAGD) меньше мельчайшего; "наименьший" "самый маленький" (Barth; GGBB, 302). Эта форма обозначает предельное самоуничижение (Eadie). Павел может...
WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST— The Apostle here makes a new word, which, as grammarians would speak, is the comparative degree of the superlative,— ελαχιστοτερω, which no translation can fully equal, or...
_PREVIEWING IN OUTLINE FORM_ (EPHESIANS 3:1-19) E. Paul's prayer for our strengthening. Ephesians 3:1-19. 1. Beginning of prayer. Ephesians 3:1. 2. Parenthetical Paul's mini
Unto 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; AM - not merely was I, but still am the least wor...
__ Summary of the Present Grace 2 The present secret administration of which there is no hint in any Scriptures before this epistle was penned, consists essentially of three separate items, all of w...
UNSEARCHABLE] inexplorable; that cannot be traced out. RICHES] the comprehensiveness and power of the gospel....
REASONS FOR RENEWING THE PRAYER FOR WISDOM 1-13. A digression, which, however, could not be spared. As in Ephesians 1:15, he begins to speak of himself, and this time he explains his unique interest i...
CHRISTIAN BELIEF AND BEHAVIOUR EPHESIANS _LES PAINTER (BIBLE TEXT BY CYNTHIA GREEN)_ CHAPTER 3 3:1-13 ~ GOD HAS MADE HIS SECRET KNOWN 3:1-6 ~ GOD MADE HIS SECRET KNOWN TO PAUL V1 For this reason...
LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS. — Compare with this expression of deep humility the well-known passages 1 Corinthians 15:9; 2 Corinthians 11:30; 2 Corinthians 12:9;...
Ephesians 3:1 contain two subjects closely blended together. The first (carrying on what is implied in the contrast drawn out in Ephesians 2) is the absolute newness of this dispensation to the Gentil...
CHAPTER 12 THE SECRET OF THE AGES Ephesians 3:1 Ephesians 3:2 are in form a parenthesis. They interrupt the prayer which appears to be commencing in the first verse and is not resumed until Ephesian...
These verses make a paragraph by themselves. Their main subject is the call of the Gentiles and Paul's Apostolic vocation in relation thereto. He reminds his readers of the mystery of that call, its r...
ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη : _to me, who am less then the least of all saints, was given this grace_. The τῶν inserted by the TR, on slender documentary evidence, before...
GENTILES SHARE THE “UNSPEAKABLE RICHES” Ephesians 3:1 _ Dispensation_ should be rendered, “stewardship.” We are God's trustees for men. To each of us is given some special phase of truth which we mus...
God's dwelling in the Church is not finality. It is equipment for the fulfillment of the divine purpose. The apostle claims a stewardship in the mystery of the Church, and declares the astounding fact...
Paul's Mission Paul considered his mission to the Gentiles a special favor bestowed upon him by God. This came about by the working of God's power both in saving Paul and in giving him the needed stre...
_To me, the least of all the saints, (i.e. of the faithful) is given this mission by the grace of God, and power from the Almighty of working miracles, and other miraculous gifts from him, who created...
(7) Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. (8) Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace g...
In this epistle we have the unfolding of the grace of God in all its fulness, not merely the application of His righteousness to man's need on His part, but God from out of Himself, and for Himself, a...
_PAUL’S HUMILITY_ ‘Unto 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.’ Ephesians 3:8 This deep and ge...
Equality in Christ I. INTRODUCTION A. Last week, in Chapter 2 of Ephesians we took a look at the Lord's "Never Ending Grace." 1. And although the Apostle Paul was speaking specifically to Gentiles,...
8._To me, who am the least. _He labors to exhibit himself, and everything that belongs to him, in as humiliating a light as possible, in order that the grace of God may be the more highly exalted. But...
The whole of Chapter 3 is a parenthesis unfolding the mystery; and presenting at the same time, in the prayer that concludes it, the second character of God set before us at the beginning of the epist...
UNTO ME WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS,.... This is an instance of the great humility of the apostle, and indeed the greatest saints are generally speaking, the most humble souls, as Abraham...
Unto 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; Ver. 8. _Less than the least_] Great Paul is least o...
_Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints_, &c. Here are the noblest strains of eloquence, to paint the exceeding low opinion which the apostle had of himself, and the fulness of unfathomable...
UNTO 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;...
The humility of the apostle and the greatness of his mission:...
THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST REVEALED (vs.1-13) "For this cause" -- because of the marvelous greatness of the work God had accomplished for and in His saints -- Paul preached "the unsearchable riches of Chr...
CHAPTER 3 Paul describes himself as: The ____________ of Jesus Christ For the ____________. We are living in the _________________ of the grace of God. A dispensation is a period of _______ given...
“UNTO ME, WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS, WAS THIS GRACE GIVEN, TO PREACH UNTO THE GENTILES THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST”. “Unto me”: Over 20 years after his conversion and appointment,...
8-12 Those whom God advances to honourable employments, he makes low in their own eyes; and where God gives grace to be humble, there he gives all other needful grace. How highly he speaks of Jesus C...
WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS; this the apostle speaks considering his former estate in Judaism, when he persecuted the church of Christ: so 1 CORINTHIANS 15:9 1 TIMOTHY 1:13,15. Thus modes...
Tertullian Against Marcion Book V The apostle declares that to himself, "less than the least of all saints, was the grace given" of enlightening all men as to "what was the fellowship of the mystery,...
Ephesians 3:8 me G1698 least G1647 all G3956 saints G40 this G3778 grace G5485 given G1325 (G5681) preach...
‘Unto me who am less than the least of all saints was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' The more Paul preached and proclaimed the Gospel, the more humbled...
1. _Paul's Office as Apostle to the Gentiles._ In view of the great privilege detailed in chap. Ephesians 2:19-22, culminating in Ephesians 2:22, the Apostle begins to speak of his prayer on behalf of...
Ephesians 3:8. UNTO ME, WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST. The transition is natural. The fact that a sentence begins here does not compel us to find the resumption of Ephesians 3:1 at this point (see note a...
UNTO ME WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL SAINTS (εμο τω ελαχιστοτερω παντων αγιων). Dative case εμο with ελοθη. The peculiar form ελαχιστοτερω (in apposition with εμο) is a comparative (-τερος) for...
Ephesians 3:8 The Unsearchable Riches of Christ. I. Paul preached _riches._This word represents three things: value, abundance, and supply. II. Unsearchable riches that is, value not traced by inqu...
Ephesians 3:1. The Grace Given to Paul. The enthusiasm with which the Apostle speaks of preaching the Gospel to the heathen is contagious. His words burn on the page, and our hearts take fire as we r...
CONTENTS: Church, a mystery hidden in past ages. Prayer for inner fullness and knowledge. CHARACTERS: Christ, God, Holy Spirit, Paul. CONCLUSION: The divine purpose to make of both Jew and Gentile a...
Ephesians 3:1. _Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ._ He was indeed the prisoner of Caesar, but a greater than Cæsar had said to him in the castle at Jerusalem, “Be of good cheer, Paul, for as thou has...
I AM LESS. Some think Paul never really _got over_ the fact that he had tried to destroy the messianic community! Yet, it is equally clear that Paul knew God had forgiven him for this (1 Timothy 1:12-...
_Unto 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._ UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OFFERED TO THE GENTILES It is...
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 3:8 VERY LEAST OF ALL THE SAINTS. Paul never forgets that he once had been a persecutor of Christ and his church (Acts 9:4;...
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 3:1 Revelation of the Gospel Mystery. Paul explains his calling and ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. This assured his Gentile readers that their inheritance in Chris...
_CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES_ Ephesians 3:7. WHEREOF I WAS MADE A MINISTER.—A deacon, a runner of errands. A lowly word, which reminds us of his own self-estimate—“not worthy to be called an apost...
EXPOSITION EPHESIANS 3:1 DIGRESSION ON THE ADMISSION OF THE GENTILES TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD....
Let's turn to the third chapter of Ephesians. For this cause [Paul said] I, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1), It is interesting that Paul was actually a prisoner of Rome,...
1 Chronicles 17:16; 1 Chronicles 29:14; 1 Chronicles 29:15; 1 Corinthians 1:30;...
Less than the least [τ ω ε λ α χ ι σ τ ο τ ε ρ ω]. Only here in the New Testament, and very characteristic. A comparative is formed upon a superlative : more least than all the saints. Compare 1 Corin...
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given — Here are the noblest strains of eloquence to paint the exceeding low opinion the apostle had of himself, and the fulness of unf...