Eph 3:1–13 — The Mystery Revealed

What is God’s ultimate purpose? Why did he create the universe and mankind in the first place? What is the meaning of life?

Ephesians may be the most important book in the Bible from this point of view Paul’s theological reflections in Ephesians are cosmic in scope. He is addressing the big picture, the ultimate questions. What is God up to?

What is God’s plan and how do I fit into it?

Paul addresses these questions by speaking about “the mystery of Christ” (v. 4). He says that this wasn’t something that previous generations of the sons of men understood. But now, he says, it has been revealed to the apostles by the Holy Spirit and in particular, it has been revealed to Paul who was given the special stewardship of explaining it (vv. 2, 7)

Why does Paul use this word “mystery”?

Is it a mystical, mysterious thing that can’t be understood?

Paul explicitly says he wants us to understand! (v. 4). Is it a secret knowledge given only to the cognoscendi?

Paul’s whole ministry is not to conceal but to bring to light (v. 8). It is now revealed (v. 5). A “mystery” in Biblical terminology is something that cannot be figured out by human reason but only through divine revelation Romans 16:25-27.

So what is the new divine revelation that has been given to Paul?

Verse 6 states it explicitly. Now this creates a problem, because the OT certainly revealed that the Gentiles would be included in the covenant community of the latter days Genesis 12:3 Galatians 3:8: “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you’” Examples of Gentiles who joined themselves to the people of God Rahab the harlot Ruth the Moabitess Isaiah 60:1-14 Micah 4:1-3. The NT itself teaches that the OT held forth the hope of the salvation of the Gentiles Acts 15:13-18 Romans 15:8-12. Therefore, in what sense can Paul say that the mystery was a new revelation previously unknown in former generations?

It was not the fact that the Gentiles would be included but the manner in which they would be included that is the new content of this revelation By incorporation of believing Jews and Gentiles into the one body of Jesus Christ. The mystery is the revelation of that the covenant community has now taken a new form as the body of Christ In the Old Testament, the covenant community was not the body of Christ. The bond that united the people of God in the OT was primarily genetic - the literal seed of Abraham and secondarily covenantal - obedience to the Law. These two things kept the Gentiles out. They were not the seed of Abraham. And they did not possess the Law and certainly they did not keep it. But now, the people of God has taken a new shape, a new organization. It is organized not on the basis of lineage or legal observance but on the basis of union with Jesus Christ Three terms in rapid succession each beginning with the same prefix in Greek:

sugkleronoma: “fellow heirs” sussoma: “fellow members of the same body” summetocha tes epaggelias: “fellows partakers of the promise” All of this is “in Christ Jesus through the gospel” So we conclude that the mystery, the new thing that has been revealed, is the complete union of Jews and Gentiles with each other through the union of both with Christ. All who are united to the one Christ through the one Spirit are one in Christ, and no external differences such as ethnicity, race, legal observances, etc.

can intrude in order to create differences or divisions. What is the bond that unites all Christians in the NT?

It is nothing less than Jesus Christ himself not in the obvious sense that we all believe in him but in the much more profound sense that we are all united to him Consider the variety of backgrounds, races, and social strata in the church From the external point of view we have little in common. But we are united with one another because we are all united to Christ.

Christ himself as the focal point of the mystery

Our text does not stop with the issue of the inclusion of the Gentiles as if that concept alone exhausts the meaning of the mystery Paul goes on to zero in on God’s eternal purpose in Christ (vv. 8-11). The inclusion of the Gentiles is made possible because of the new form of the covenant community as the organic body of Christ. Therefore, the mystery itself focuses on Christ himself and the church’s union with him and secondarily on the effects of that union, the most important of which is the erasing of the ethnic barriers separating Israel from the nations Eph. 1:9 - the summing up of all things in Christ Eph. 5:32 - the marriage union of Christ and the church Eph. 6:19-20 - the mystery is the gospel Col. 1:24-2:3 - Christ in you, you in Christ. The focal point of the mystery is Christ himself but always in relation to the church as his body or bride 1 Cor. 12:12-13 the head-body organism in its totality is called “the Christ” Eph. 2:15 “one new man in Christ” Jesus is the Last Adam, the inaugurator of a new race, a new humanity In union with the Last Adam, the church is the new man Paul’s specific application of it to the Jew-Gentile problem is brought up here in order to show the contrast between the Old and the New Testament forms of the people of God. The OT covenant community was grounded in the Law The NT church is grounded in Christ.

The cosmic scope of the mystery

The Mystery began in the eternal decree of God (v. 9, 11) “Hidden in God” The history of redemption is the unveiling of the mind of God. This expands on the concept of “the mystery” It was something hidden, kept secret in the mind of God Redemptive history was the progressive outworking of the eternal counsel of God. But now at the end of the age, it has been fully revealed and made known. The Mystery is the fulfillment of God’s original purposes for Creation (v. 9b) God’s purposes with Israel appeared to particularistic God set aside for a time his concern for the salvation of the nations and worked only with a particular nation. But his purpose was ultimately universalistic. For what was it that set Israel apart and made her unique?

It was her monotheism. The creator God is the only true and living God Psalm 96:1-5 Isaiah 45:20-23. The Mystery is a witness of the victory of Christ over the demonic powers (v. 10). Although in the meantime, Paul must suffer at the hands of those powers (v. 13), he knew that the battle had already been won. Therefore, Paul did not lose heart. We too face tribulation in this present age while we wait for the coming of Jesus Christ but like Paul we need not lose heart, since we know that these tribulations are “our glory” How so?

By means of tribulation God is perfecting our faith strengthening us with power in the inner man (v. 16) When our outer man is trouble-free and at ease, our inner man begins to wither away. The inner man is made strong our faith in Christ’s victory over the demonic powers is increased only when the outer man suffers hardship and distress.

Application

So, what, according to our text, is God’s ultimate plan?

It is nothing less than the creation of “one new man in Christ” Obviously we ought to take the church seriously and be committed to it Committed to active involvement in a local expression of the body of Jesus Christ Worship, fellowship, teaching. This calls into question the attitude of those Christians who say they don’t need the visible church “Me and my Bible” “I’m part of the invisible church” In fact, the very word Paul uses for “the church” is ekklesia, which means assembly. The church isn’t an abstract concept - a collective group. The church exists in heaven as “the general assembly” (Heb. 12:22ff). The earthly extension of that heavenly assembly is manifested whenever and wherever the church assembles for worship. Do not forsake the assembly!