Ephesians 3

For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you,

how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ,

which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit,

that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

of which I was made a servant according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ,

to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.

For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,

and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter centers on Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers, flowing from his reflection on the revealed mystery of Christ: that Gentiles are included as co-heirs with Jews in one body through the gospel. Having outlined the grand sweep of God’s eternal purpose in Christ, Paul now intercedes for the spiritual strengthening of the saints, that they would grasp the vastness of Christ’s love and be filled with the fullness of God.

Flow.

Paul begins by identifying himself as a steward of divine grace, commissioned to reveal a mystery once hidden: the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s people as equal members of Christ’s body (vv. 1–6).
He recounts his calling as the least of the saints to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ, so that through the church, the multifaceted wisdom of God might be made known even to heavenly powers (vv. 7–10).
Turning to prayer, he asks that believers would be strengthened by the Spirit, rooted in love, and empowered to comprehend the surpassing dimensions of Christ’s love (vv. 14–19).
The chapter closes in doxology, ascribing glory to God who works beyond all human imagination in and through the church (vv. 20–21).

Connections. Following chapter 2, which describes the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles into one new humanity in Christ, this chapter unfolds the divine mystery behind that unity and Paul’s vocation to declare it. The vision of a redeemed, multi-ethnic people forms the basis of his intercession. The prayer transitions into chapter 4, which calls the now-unified body to preserve that unity in practical and spiritual faithfulness, grounded in the same gospel that formed them.

What it teaches. The mystery once concealed but now revealed is that through Christ, the promise-bearers are no longer defined by ethnic identity but by faith, making one new people of God composed of Jews and Gentiles alike (WCF 8.6). This unity manifests God’s eternal purpose, displaying His manifold wisdom to spiritual powers (WCF 5.7, Eph. 3:10). The inner strengthening of believers by the Holy Spirit and the indwelling of Christ through faith are means by which God conforms His people to the love that binds them (HC LD 25, WCF 13.1). To know Christ’s love is to grasp something of the very fullness of God, a work only God’s power can accomplish (WCF 16.2).

Apply. Trust that the same power which raised Christ now strengthens you from within to know and rest in the love of Christ that exceeds all understanding.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.