New Testament · Letter

Ephesians 3

The Mystery Revealed

Paul is a prisoner, but the mystery he carries is bigger than any chain. Gentiles are fellow heirs, and God's wisdom is being displayed to cosmic powers.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

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1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...

2Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,

3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

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.

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.

7I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.

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,

9and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

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,

11according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.

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

14... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

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,

17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth

19of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,

21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Understand This

Ephesians 3, explained

What Ephesians 3 is saying

Paul reveals 'the mystery of Christ'—that Gentiles are co-heirs (synklēronoma), co-members (syssōma), and co-sharers (symmetocha) of the promise in Christ Jesus. This mystery, hidden for ages, is now revealed through the apostles and prophets, and the church itself serves as the demonstration of God's manifold wisdom (polypoikilos sophia) to the cosmic powers. Paul's prayer reaches its climax: to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and to be filled with all the fullness of God.

The background behind it

The 'mystery' terminology draws on Jewish apocalyptic vocabulary for divine secrets now unveiled in the eschatological era. The three syn- compounds (co-heirs, co-body, co-sharers) are likely Pauline coinages emphasizing the radical togetherness of Jewish and Gentile believers. Paul's self-description as 'the very least of all the saints' (elachistoterō) uses a comparative form of a superlative—an intentional grammatical impossibility.

Themes running underneath

The cosmic ecclesiology of Ephesians reaches its apex: the church's united existence is God's demonstration to the principalities and powers of His wisdom. The mystery is fundamentally corporate—Gentile inclusion is not an afterthought but the revelation of God's eternal purpose. Paul's prayer for comprehension of love's dimensions (breadth, length, height, depth) points to an inexhaustible reality.

Why it still matters

The church's visible unity is not merely a social good but a cosmic witness. Paul's prayer challenges believers to seek experiential knowledge of a love that can never be fully comprehended—an infinite pursuit.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.