[Note: This is Part 6 of a 10-part series on Ephesians: Living Out Our Identity in Christ.]

Have you ever been let in on a secret? Something that was hidden from others but revealed to you? There’s something profound about being trusted with information that was previously concealed. It makes you feel valued, included, part of something significant.

In Ephesians 3, Paul reveals one of the most stunning truths in all of Scripture—something he calls “the mystery.” For ages, this truth was hidden, kept secret, concealed from human understanding. But now it has been revealed. And the content of this mystery changes everything about how we understand God’s plan and the church’s place in it.

In the previous post, we saw that Gentiles who were once far off have been brought near by Christ’s blood. The dividing wall between Jew and Gentile has been demolished. But Paul hasn’t finished unpacking what this means. Now he pauses to reflect on his own role in proclaiming this mystery and to pray that believers would grasp its significance.

Paul’s Commission (3:1-7)

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. (Eph. 3:1-7)

Paul, a Prisoner for the Gentiles

Paul begins, “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles.” He’s picking up from where he left off at the end of chapter 2. Because of everything he’s just explained—the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile, the creation of one new man, the building of God’s temple—Paul is now in prison.

Notice how he describes himself: “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” Not a prisoner of Rome, though Roman authorities imprisoned him. Not a prisoner of circumstances. He’s Christ’s prisoner, and his imprisonment is “on behalf of you Gentiles.” Paul’s suffering has purpose. He’s enduring this for the benefit of the Gentile believers.

The Stewardship of Grace

Paul then interrupts himself (he doesn’t complete the thought he started in verse 1 until verse 14). He wants to explain something first: “assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.”

The word “stewardship” (oikonomia) means management or administration. God has entrusted Paul with a specific task—to dispense His grace to the Gentiles. Paul is a steward, managing something that belongs to God and distributing it according to God’s instructions.

And what was he given to steward? “God’s grace…for you.” The gospel itself. The message of salvation by grace through faith. This grace wasn’t given to Paul for his benefit alone but “for you”—for the Gentile believers.

The Mystery Made Known by Revelation

“How the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.” Paul didn’t figure out this mystery through study or reasoning. It came by revelation—God disclosed it to him directly. This likely refers to Paul’s Damascus Road encounter with Christ and the subsequent revelations he received (see Gal. 1:11-12).

Paul says he’s “written briefly” about this. He may be referring to what he just wrote in chapter 2, or possibly to another letter. The point is that this mystery wasn’t common knowledge. It required special revelation from God.

A Mystery Hidden in Other Generations

“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”

A “mystery” in biblical terms isn’t something unknowable or mystical. It’s something that was once hidden but is now revealed. This particular mystery—”the mystery of Christ”—was concealed from previous generations. The patriarchs didn’t fully understand it. The prophets glimpsed it but didn’t see it clearly. Even the angels longed to look into these things (1 Pet. 1:10-12).

But now, in Paul’s generation, God has pulled back the curtain. He has revealed this mystery “to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” The revelation came not through human wisdom but through the Holy Spirit’s work. The apostles and prophets of the new covenant received direct revelation from God about His plan.

The Content of the Mystery

So what is this mystery that was hidden for ages? Paul states it clearly: “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

Three phrases describe this mystery:

1. Fellow heirs — The Gentiles share the same inheritance as the Jews. They’re not junior partners or second-class citizens. They inherit the same kingdom, the same eternal life, the same glory.
2. Members of the same body — The Gentiles belong to the same body as the Jews. The church is one body, not two bodies that cooperate. There’s no Jewish church and Gentile church. There’s just the church, Christ’s body.
3. Partakers of the promise — The Gentiles share in the same promises given to Abraham and his descendants. The blessings God promised to Israel are now offered to all nations through Christ.

And all of this comes “in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” The gospel is the means by which both Jew and Gentile receive these blessings. Not through law-keeping. Not through ethnic identity. Through faith in Christ.

This may not seem shocking to us today. We’re so used to the idea that salvation is for everyone who believes. But in Paul’s day, this was revolutionary. Judaism was an ethnic religion. You couldn’t just decide to become part of God’s people. You had to be born Jewish or convert to Judaism (which for men included circumcision and full law observance). The mystery is that God’s plan all along was to create a new people—not based on ethnicity or law but based on faith in Christ. Jew and Gentile on equal footing. One family. One body. One inheritance.

Paul Made a Minister

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.” Paul didn’t volunteer for this role. He didn’t pursue ministry as a career. God made him a minister. It was a gift—grace freely given. And it came “by the working of his power”—God’s power at work in Paul, transforming a persecutor of the church into its foremost missionary.

Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles wasn’t Plan B or an afterthought. It was God’s plan from the beginning, part of the mystery now revealed.

Paul’s Mission (3:8-13)

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. (Eph. 3:8-13)

The Least of All the Saints

Paul begins with remarkable humility: “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given.” Why does Paul call himself “the very least of all the saints”? Because he persecuted the church. Before his conversion, he dragged believers from their homes, threw them in prison, and approved of their execution (Acts 8:3; 9:1-2).

Paul never forgot what he was. He called himself the “foremost” of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Yet God chose him to be an apostle. This is grace. God takes the least qualified and uses them for His greatest purposes.

To Preach the Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Paul’s mission was “to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” The word “unsearchable” means beyond tracing out, incomprehensible in their fullness. Christ’s riches are inexhaustible. No matter how deeply you dig, there’s always more to discover.

Paul preached these riches to the Gentiles—people who had been excluded from God’s covenant, who had no hope, who were without God in the world. Now they could have access to infinite treasure in Christ.

To Bring to Light the Plan of the Mystery

Paul’s second purpose was “to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things.” God’s plan wasn’t invented on the fly. It wasn’t a response to human failure. The mystery was “hidden for ages in God” before creation itself. The God who created all things had this plan from the beginning.

Paul’s job was to illuminate this plan—to make it clear, to explain it, to help people understand what God was doing. The mystery is no longer mysterious to those who have been taught the gospel.

That the Church Might Display God’s Wisdom

But there’s a bigger purpose: “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

This is stunning. The church exists not just for our benefit. The church is a demonstration project for the entire cosmos. God is using the church to display His “manifold wisdom” to “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places”—the spiritual powers, both good and evil.

What wisdom is being displayed? That God could take two hostile groups—Jews and Gentiles—and unite them into one body through the cross. That He could create a new humanity from the broken pieces of the old. That He could accomplish redemption through apparent defeat (the crucifixion of the Messiah). That grace could triumph over law, mercy over judgment, unity over division.

The angels are watching. The demons are watching. And through the church, they see God’s wisdom on display.

According to God’s Eternal Purpose

“This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This wasn’t improvisation. This was God’s eternal plan, now accomplished in Christ. Everything is unfolding according to His purpose, worked out in history through Jesus Christ.

Boldness and Access Through Faith

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” Because of Christ, we can approach God boldly. We don’t cower in fear. We don’t wonder if we’ll be accepted. We have access—direct, immediate access—to God Himself. And this access comes through faith in Christ.

Don’t Lose Heart

“So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” Paul is in prison. The Ephesians might be discouraged by this. How can God’s plan be unfolding when His apostle is in chains?

Paul reframes it: his sufferings are “for you” and are actually “your glory.” His imprisonment advances the gospel. His suffering demonstrates that the message is worth dying for. His chains are not defeat but part of God’s victorious plan.

Paul’s Prayer (3:14-21)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:14-21)

For This Reason

Paul now picks up the thought he started in verse 1: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father.” Because of everything he’s explained—the mystery revealed, the church’s role in displaying God’s wisdom, the unity of Jew and Gentile—Paul prays.

“I bow my knees” indicates intentional, reverent prayer. This isn’t casual. Paul is earnest, focused, deliberate.

The Father of All

He prays “before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.” There’s a play on words here. “Father” (pater) and “family” (patria) share the same root. God is the ultimate Father, and all families derive their identity from Him. Every family—whether angelic families in heaven or human families on earth—gets its name from the Father.

Strengthened with Power

Paul’s first request: “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

Paul asks God to strengthen them. Not in their bodies. Not in their circumstances. In their “inner being”—their hearts, their spirits, the core of who they are. And the source of this strength? The Holy Spirit working within them. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:19-20) will strengthen believers from the inside out.

Notice: “according to the riches of his glory.” God has infinite resources. He doesn’t strengthen us according to our deserving but according to His glorious riches.

That Christ May Dwell in Your Hearts

Why does Paul pray for this strengthening? “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Dwell means to settle down, to make a home. Paul prays that Christ would be at home in their hearts, fully settled, permanently residing there. This happens through faith—ongoing trust in Christ.

Rooted and Grounded in Love

The result: “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth.”

Paul mixes metaphors. “Rooted” is agricultural—like a tree with deep roots. “Grounded” is architectural—like a building on a solid foundation. Both convey stability, depth, permanence.

And the soil or foundation? Love. God’s love for us and our love for Him and others. This is what gives us stability.

Comprehending the Incomprehensible

When we’re rooted and grounded in love, we can “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth.” Of what? Paul doesn’t say explicitly, but the next phrase clarifies.

Knowing the Love That Surpasses Knowledge

“And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” This is paradoxical. How can we know something that surpasses knowledge? Paul is distinguishing between intellectual knowledge and experiential knowledge. You can know about Christ’s love without truly knowing it in your heart.

Christ’s love is vast—breadth, length, height, depth. It extends to all people (breadth), throughout all time (length), to the highest heights of heaven (height), and to the lowest depths of human sin and suffering (depth). It’s immeasurable. Yet Paul prays we would grasp it more and more.

Filled with All the Fullness of God

The ultimate goal: “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” This is staggering. How can finite creatures be filled with the infinite God? Yet this is Paul’s prayer. Not just filled with some of God or part of God, but “all the fullness of God.”

This doesn’t mean we become God. It means God fully indwells us, His presence saturates us, His character transforms us. We become vessels filled to capacity with God Himself.

Now to Him Who Is Able

Paul concludes with a doxology: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”

God’s ability exceeds our imagination. We can’t even conceive of what He can do. Our prayers are too small. Our expectations are too limited. God works “far more abundantly”—exceedingly, infinitely beyond—what we can ask or think.

And this infinite power is “at work within us.” Right now. The same power that created the universe, that raised Christ from the dead, that will fill us with God’s fullness—it’s already working in us.

Glory Forever

“To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

God receives glory through two channels: the church and Christ Jesus. The church displays His wisdom and grace. Christ displays His power and love. Together, they bring glory to God—not just now, not just in this generation, but throughout all generations, forever.

Application Points

Marvel at your inclusion in God’s eternal plan

You are not an accident. You are not Plan B. Before God created the world, He planned to include you in His family. The mystery hidden for ages has been revealed, and you’re part of it. Let this truth sink in: the God who created galaxies planned for you to be His child. You are not peripheral to His purposes. You are central to them.

Embrace your role in displaying God’s wisdom

The church exists to showcase God’s wisdom to the spiritual realm. When you love fellow believers across ethnic, socioeconomic, or cultural divides, you demonstrate that God can reconcile the irreconcilable. When you walk in unity despite differences, you prove that the gospel transforms. Your church isn’t just a place you attend. It’s a demonstration project for the cosmos.

Pray for spiritual strength and depth

Paul prays for inner strengthening by the Spirit, for Christ to dwell deeply in believers’ hearts, for comprehension of Christ’s love, and for fullness of God. Make these your prayers for yourself and others. Don’t just pray for circumstances to change. Pray for hearts to be transformed, for love to deepen, for God to fill His people with His presence.

Never underestimate what God can do

Paul says God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” Your prayers are too small. Your expectations are too limited. God’s power is at work within you—resurrection power, creation power, transformation power. Stop limiting God to what seems reasonable or possible. Ask big. Expect big. Trust the God who does immeasurably more than we can imagine.

Find hope in suffering

Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter. Yet he tells the Ephesians not to lose heart over his sufferings because they are “for you” and are actually “your glory.” If you’re suffering for Christ, your suffering has purpose. It advances the gospel. It encourages others. It displays God’s sustaining grace. Don’t waste your suffering by focusing only on the pain. See it as part of God’s eternal plan.

Reflection

• Do you truly grasp that you’re part of a mystery hidden for ages and now revealed? How does knowing that the church displays God’s wisdom to spiritual powers change how you view your church and your relationships within it?
• Are you praying for the kind of spiritual depth and transformation Paul prays for, or are your prayers focused primarily on circumstances and comfort?

In the next post, we’ll shift from theology to practice. Having laid the foundation of who we are in Christ, Paul will now call us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. The second half of Ephesians shows us what it looks like to live out the reality of what the first half has established.