1-3: - Paul has a secret
4-7: - The Mystery of Christ
8-10: - Servant of the Gospel
11-13: - Eternal purpose
14-16: - Bow My Knees Before the Father
17-19: - A prayer
20-21: - Benediction
Verses 3:1-13 are a continuation of the thought that Gentiles are joint heirs. Verses 14-21 are a prayer.
Eph. 3:1-3 - Stewardship of God’s Grace1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you;
3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.
Made Known the Mystery
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Vs. 1 - “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--“
“prisoner of Christ Jesus” - This might have a double meaning. Does Paul mean here (as in some cross references) that because of his faith in Jesus he is now a prisoner in the Roman jails? Or, does he use this as an illustration; as he is a “bond-servant”, a “slave”, a “servant” of Jesus Christ, Lord of All?
I think both are possible. Note Paul’s mission has to carry the claims of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Proclaiming these truths did land Paul in jail. But, by the same token, Christ’s claim on Paul was that he should spend his life sharing to the Gentiles.
And that indeed is our call - where Christ is such a central figure in our lives that we do His bidding; our lives committed to Him so that He has complete say in our actions, etc.
Vs. 2 - “if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you;”
Paul was called by Christ to take the gospel to the Gentiles. (See: Acts 9:1-19; 22:6-16; 26:14-18) Paul was not shy about telling how he was changed from an enemy of Christ and Christians to a tireless advocate of salvation through faith the the Lord Jesus Christ. He was changed from a travelling executioner a missionay extrodinaire.
Vs. 3 - “that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.”
Paul did not learn about the Lord Jesus from men (Gal 1:12, 16) but directly from Jesus. It is not directly mentioned in Acts 9:26-31, but it seems that Paul went away to be taught what the Gospel was all about. He had believed that Jesus was a heretic as were his followers. Paul was a terror, hunting down and arresting believers. He was a stout believer in God there on the road to Damascus, just not of Jesus. Notice that Paul did not wonder who it was that struck him blind and called to him. He knew it was God. Paul's question, "Who are you, Lord?" is not questioning if it is God who is calling to him. He is confused, because he thinks he is defending God. Paul is dumbfounded, what does the Lord mean by his statement? The answer from God, "I, Jesus, am the Lord you worship and are now attacking!" Note that Paul does not argue with God. There's no, "Yeah, but..." Paul understood that God had accosted him. If God says that Jesus is God (which is what was said), that settles it for Paul. Now, he may not have had a fully develped theology at this point, but he believed and was saved. A little later, as has been noted, Paul gets some serious one-on-one tutoring.
He understands there is more than the miracle of God’s love shown through Jesus - but that the Gentiles were heir to grace also.
“Mystery” - A previously unrevealed fact, that God now makes known. There are a couple places in the OT prophetic writings where it is said that those who are not God's people will be His people. (Hos 1:10, 2:23)
“As I wrote in brief” - In this letter, or in another letter? I don’t know, it could easily be either. Salvation has come to all people - Jews and Gentiles. No longer does a person need to convert Judaism to come to God. The path is direct. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. “ (Acts 16:31; Rom10:9)
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