AM Bible Study Group; April 5, 2017 from Ephesians 3:8-13
Theme: Paul describes the ‘mystery’ of God’s grace to the Gentiles that he makes known.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Have you ever had a wonderful and exciting announcement to give—a secret to share—but that you had to wait until the right time before you could share it? It’s hard to keep such a message to yourself. Sometimes, it’s almost a kind of agony. But then, when you finally get to declare it, it’s a thrill.
That was Paul’s situation. As we saw in our last study, Paul had been given the privilege of revealing a great message. It was a ‘mystery’ in the sense that it was a truth about God’s plan for the ages that could not be known by human kind unless God Himself revealed it (see Colossians 1:24-27). It was the message that the God of Israel now extends His grace to and welcomes the Gentiles into His full favor through Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 2:11-22). But in this case, it was not a message that Paul had to first keep to himself. It was a message to be fully declared.
In our last study, in Ephesians 3:1-7, we considered how Paul was the ‘minister’ of this great mystery. And now, in verses 8-13, we explore the mystery itself. We find seven aspects to it; that it is a message …
I. … THAT IS A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO PREACH (v. 8a).
Paul felt this privilege very greatly. He calls the honor of declaring this message a “grace”—that is, a wonderful ‘gift’ from God; and he wrote, “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given …”
Paul considered himself unworthy. In another passage, he refers to himself as ‘the chief of sinners’ (1 Timothy 1:15). This was because, formerly, he was a blasphemer of Christ and a persecutor of Christians (v. 13). But had God saved him and put him in the ministry. In 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, he wrote; “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” He was greatly honored to be allowed to proclaim this message to the world—and so also should we!
II. … THAT REVEALS THE RICHES OF CHRIST TO THE GENTILES (v. 8b).
It truly is a privilege to proclaim this mystery, because it involves the highest theme that people could ever hear. Paul considered it a great honor “that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ …”
What are the riches of Christ? Well; it’s impossible for us to know, because they are ‘unsearchable’ or ‘unfathomable’. But they are great indeed! The Bible tells us that “it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell” (Colossians 1:19). If you have Jesus Christ, you have everything; because the Bible promises that “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:9-10). Ordinarily, we would think of these great riches as belonging only to the Jewish people as God’s chosen covenant people. But Paul was thrilled to preach “among the Gentiles” these unsearchable riches of Christ!
III. … THAT WAS FORMERLY HIDDEN BUT NOW REVEALED TO ALL (v. 9).
One of the things that it was a thrill for Paul to declare about this is that it is a part of God’s plan of redemption from throughout the ages—but only then, because of the ministry of Jesus, was it finally being revealed. It was his privilege to proclaim it to the Gentiles, “and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ …”
Some Bible translations have it that this speaks of “the stewardship” of the mystery—which would speak of Paul’s part in the declaration of it and the duty to make it known. Other ancient manuscripts have it that this speaks of “the fellowship” of this mystery—which would speak of our privileged part in it with Paul as Gentile believers. The best manuscripts suggest that “stewardship” is most in keeping with the original; but either way; what a privilege it is! It was hidden—not just in select men, not just in select prophets—but in God at the very beginning. And it was God’s right to keep it to Himself and reveal it whenever He pleased; because He is the Creator of all things. There was a time when it was not revealed and others—specifically the prophets who wrote about it—wished to know it (1 Peter 1:11-12). What a wonderful thing it is, then, that we now live in the age in which it has been fully revealed!
IV. … THAT DISPLAYS THE WISDOM OF GOD TO THE ANGELS (v. 10).
And notice that it is not just being revealed to us poor, frail, fallen human beings! It is also being revealed to the angelic beings in heaven. It is revealed, “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places …”
Notice that it is revealed “now” to them. This must mean that there was a time when it had not been revealed to them. 1 Peter 1:12 tells us that our salvation is something that even the angels longed to “look into”. And what do they discover from it? They see the marvelous wisdom of God. They see how God has taken fallen sinners such as us—even from among the Gentile world—and saves us in Christ, and raises us up in a glory that exceeds even that of the angelic realms, and causes the angels to say, “Praise to You God! You are truly great in Your amazing grace!” We—with Paul, and with them—should also say, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).
V. … THAT IS REVEALED ACCORDING TO AN ETERNAL PLAN (v. 11).
The fact that God revealed this later in time, however, doesn’t mean that He devised this plan later in time. Not at all. He did this, as Paul says, “according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord …” God’s plan to welcome the Gentiles into His grace is not an afterthought; but rather an intention that was in his heart as an “eternal purpose”—“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:7). He always purposed in His heart to send His Son as our Savior—and in ‘the fullness of time’ (Galatians 4:4), He came to save us!
VI. … THAT ANNOUNCES OUR ACCESS TO GOD IN CHRIST (v. 12).
What good news this ‘mystery’ is! It announces that we believing Gentiles—along with all believing Jews—now have freedom to approach God in Christ; “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” The veil of the temple is taken down, as it were, and we may approach the throne of grace boldly in Christ. As the writer of Hebrews puts it in Hebrews 10:19-22;
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-22).
We who were once far off are now brought near (Ephesians 2:13). “Come on in!” What good news!
VII. … THAT IS WORTH SUFFERING HARDSHIP FOR (v. 13).
Paul did in deed suffer for this. He was in prison at the time. But no wonder he said, “Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.” He was suffering in prison for his preaching; but he didn’t lose heart in his suffering—and neither did he want his Gentile readers to lose heart. It was so that the message—the revealing of this great mystery—could read even them.
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The proclamation of this mystery cost Paul—and there may have been times when that cost intimidated him. But he asked, later on in this letter, that the saints pray for him, “that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20).
This mystery is also our privilege to share as well. May we too be given boldness to do so!