Ephesians 3

The mystery made known

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...a ²Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,b ³that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.c

⁴In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.d ⁶This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.e

⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.f ⁸Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,g ⁹and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.h

¹⁰His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,i ¹¹according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.j ¹²In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.k

¹³So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.l

Rooted and grounded in love

¹⁴... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,m ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,n ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,o ¹⁸will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depthp ¹⁹of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.q

²⁰Now to Him who is able to do so much more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,r ²¹to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.s

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Commentary

Ephesians 3 pivots from doctrine to prayer. Paul reveals the mystery of Christ — that Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel through the gospel. He then prays that believers would be strengthened by the Spirit, rooted in love, and filled with the fullness of God. The chapter moves fr

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Bible Dictionary· Ephesians 3(7)

Amen Body Bow Father Grace Heaven Spirit

Bible Characters· Ephesians 3(2)

Jesus Paul

References· Ephesians 3

a: v.1 — Colossians 1:24, Ephesians 6:20, 2 Timothy 1:8, Ephesians 4:1, Philippians 1:13-16, Luke 21:12, Philippians 1:7, Philemon 1:9, Acts 23:18, Philemon 1:1
b: v.2 — 1 Timothy 1:11, Colossians 1:25-27, Romans 1:5, Galatians 1:15-16, 2 Timothy 1:11, Ephesians 4:7, 1 Corinthians 4:1, Galatians 1:13, Ephesians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 9:17-22
c: v.3 — Galatians 1:12, Romans 16:25, Ephesians 3:9, Ephesians 1:9-11, Ephesians 3:4, Acts 22:17, Colossians 1:26-27, Acts 22:21, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, Ephesians 1:17
d: v.5 — 1 Peter 1:10-12, 2 Peter 3:2, Titus 1:1-3, Jude 1:17, Ephesians 3:9, Ephesians 2:20, Luke 10:24, Acts 10:28, Matthew 13:17, John 14:26
e: v.6 — Galatians 3:26-29, 1 John 2:25, Galatians 3:14, 1 John 1:3, Romans 8:15-17, 1 Corinthians 12:27, Galatians 4:5-7, Ephesians 2:13-22, Colossians 2:19, Ephesians 5:30
f: v.7 — Ephesians 1:19, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Ephesians 3:2, Hebrews 13:21, Colossians 1:23-25, Colossians 1:29, 1 Corinthians 3:5, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 15:10
g: v.8 — 1 Corinthians 15:9, Colossians 1:27, 1 Timothy 1:13, Ephesians 2:7, Ephesians 3:16, Romans 11:33, Galatians 1:16, 1 Timothy 2:7, Ephesians 1:7-8, Romans 2:4
h: v.9 — Colossians 1:26, Matthew 13:35, 2 Timothy 1:9, Colossians 3:3, Matthew 28:19, Hebrews 3:3-4, John 1:1-3, Psalms 33:6, Hebrews 1:2-3, Isaiah 44:24
i: v.10 — 1 Peter 1:12, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Romans 11:33, Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 1:21, 1 Corinthians 1:24, 1 Peter 3:22, Matthew 11:25-27, Colossians 1:16
j: v.11 — 2 Timothy 1:9, Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 1:4, Romans 9:11, Isaiah 46:10-11, Ephesians 1:9, Isaiah 14:24-27, Romans 8:28-30, Jeremiah 51:29
k: v.12 — Romans 5:2, Ephesians 2:18, Hebrews 4:14-16, John 14:6, Hebrews 10:19-22, 2 Corinthians 3:4
l: v.13 — 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Colossians 1:24, 2 Corinthians 1:6, Isaiah 40:30-31, Philippians 1:12-14, Ephesians 3:1, Galatians 6:9, Deuteronomy 20:3, Zephaniah 3:16, Acts 14:22
m: v.14 — Psalms 95:6, Ephesians 1:16-19, Philippians 2:10, Acts 21:5, Ephesians 1:3, Daniel 6:10, Isaiah 45:23, Ezra 9:5, 1 Kings 19:18, Luke 22:41
n: v.16 — Colossians 1:11, Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 40:29-31, Isaiah 41:10, Zechariah 10:12, 2 Timothy 4:17, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Ephesians 6:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalms 28:8
o: v.17 — Colossians 2:7, John 14:23, 1 John 4:16, Galatians 2:20, Romans 5:5, Ephesians 2:21-22, Revelation 3:20, 1 John 4:4, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Isaiah 57:15
p: v.18 — Psalms 103:11-12, Job 11:7-9, Ephesians 1:18-23, John 15:13, Ephesians 3:19, Psalms 103:17, Isaiah 55:9, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 2:5-8, 1 Timothy 1:14-16
q: v.19 — Ephesians 1:23, Colossians 2:9-10, Colossians 1:10, 2 Corinthians 5:14, 1 John 4:9-14, John 1:16, Philippians 4:7, Revelation 22:3-5, Galatians 2:20, Revelation 7:15-17
r: v.20 — 2 Corinthians 9:8, Romans 4:21, Jeremiah 32:27, Jude 1:24, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Ephesians 1:19, Jeremiah 32:17, Hebrews 7:25, Psalms 36:8-9, Ephesians 3:7
s: v.21 — Jude 1:25, Romans 11:36, 2 Peter 3:18, Revelation 7:12-17, 1 Peter 5:11, 1 Chronicles 29:11, Philippians 4:20, Psalms 72:19, Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:9-11

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