A Prisoner in Christ's Service
Paul begins a prayer in 3:1, but immediately digresses. He does not
return to his prayer until verse 14. Because Jew and Gentile were
built together on the one foundation, Paul was ready to give thanks to
the Father. He identifies himself as "the prisoner of Jesus Chr... [ Continue Reading ]
God Made Known the Mystery
Christ revealed both the plan of salvation and his plan for Paul to
tell others about it (Galatians 1:11-17; Acts 26:15-18). Paul says he
wrote a few words before about the mystery. He may be referring to his
earlier mention of the mystery in this book (1:9), or another l... [ Continue Reading ]
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 strength to carry out his
work (3:7). The apostle felt unworthy of his great mission especially
because... [ Continue Reading ]
God's Wisdom As Seen in the Mystery
God's wisdom is many sided and can only be understood as he reveals
it. This is true for angels as well as men. At the time of Paul's
writing, God's great plan for the redemption of man had been made
known to men and angels in the church (3:10). God's eternal int... [ Continue Reading ]
Thoughts On the Apostle's Bondage
Paul was willing to suffer the hardships of Roman imprisonment if the
gospel could be furthered by his chains. (1 Peter 1:12-14.) He did not
want the Ephesian brethren to give up because of his suffering in
bonds. This was especially true since more Gentiles were b... [ Continue Reading ]
An Introduction to Paul's Prayer
In 3:14, Paul resumes the approach to God's throne which he had begun
in Ephesians 3:1. The things that caused him to bow in prayer are
primarily found in chapter 2. Some of those are: the grace of God
toward lost men, reconciliation between Jew and Gentile, making... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul's Request
The outward man is the body everyone can see which gradually grows
old. The inward man is the soul that will live eternally (2
Corinthians 4:16). All of us are made new through the washing of the
new birth, or baptism, which the Holy Spirit caused to be written
about in the Bible (Ti... [ Continue Reading ]
The Desired Results
Further, Paul wanted them to completely understand, in all its
measures, something, or some things. It may be the love spoken of in
the previous verse, or the mystery spoken of earlier, or the church he
is showing to be supreme in this letter. Perhaps it is all we have
cited plu... [ Continue Reading ]
Praise for God
Some may have thought Paul asked for too much in his prayer. His
requests were directed to the omnipotent one. God can greatly exceed
what man thinks of or would request. He accomplishes his working
through the gospel and the Christ of the gospel (3:20; Romans 1:16; 1
Peter 4:13).
Th... [ Continue Reading ]