Eph 3:14-16 - Bowing Before the Father

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

Paul’s Prayer: That You May Be Strengthened With Power

Vs. 14 - “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,” -

“For this reason” - This does not refer to the previous statements, but to the following prayer starting in verse 16. Paul is earnestly praying to God, the Lord Almighty. He is not sitting in a church pew, or an easy chair in his front room. Paul is humbly asking the Lord to bless these people. 

Vs. 15 - "from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name," - 

This verse is in praise of God the Father. It might read better: “From whom the whole family” In other words, the household of God, the body of believers, which received its name from God (Acts 11:26).

Vs. 16 - “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,”

The prayer is threefold:

(1) Strengthened  by the Holy Spirit - vs, 16; 
(2) Christ dwells within us - vs. 17;
(3) To know the love of Christ - vss. 18-19.

Paul prays first that our inner man (our spirit, our emotions, our mind) be strengthened through the Holy Spirit. (See: Rom 8:16; Eph 1:18-20). Strengthened with God’s power, in proportion to the the riches of Christ (See: Eph 1:3-8). These riches are NOT diminished in any way. How do we know this? The answer: Christ is alive - resurrected from the dead - undiminished in any way. He lives, seated next to God the Father, and all things have been given to Him. (John 13:3)

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Eph. 3:11-13 - Boldness and Confident Acces

11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

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Do Not Lose Heart

Vs. 11 - “This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

Note: the wisdom of God was revealed (from v. 10) in Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 11). And God had planned it to happen and to be revealed in just this way.

Vs. 12 - “in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.”

This verse illustrated one of those interesting paradoxes (not the right word to describe this phenomenon) of the faith. We are in Christ, yet we have access through our faith in Christ. We are in Christ; Christ is in us (Col 1:27). Our access to God the Father is through Christ (John 14:6). though faith in Christ (John 3:16, 18, 6:29). Because of God’s love for His own, we are allowed to come into His presence, and boldly, with confidence, because of Christ (Heb 4:16, 10:19, 35; 1 John 2:28; 2 Cor 3:4; Eph 2:18).

Vs. 13 - “Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.”

“Therefore”- looks to the phase “Because of our bold confidence access God the Father” (v. 12).

"not to lose heart at my tribulations" - With the possible exception of verse 3:1 this is the only mention (in this letter) of any trouble for Paul. It is very possible that Paul had written of his predicament before. No doubt that the circumstances of a well-known early church figure as Paul was well known anyway (See: Col 1:24ff; Phil 2:17)

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Eph. 3:8-10 - Very Least of All Saints

8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;
10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Unfathomable Riches of Christ

Vs. 8 - “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,”

“Very least of all the saints” - Paul had a lot to be proud of; yet in view of Christ, and His sinless perfection — nothing to be proud of. (See: 1 Cor 15:9; 2 Cor 12:11; 1 Tim 1:15; Phil 3:8) I wish I did not have the problem of self pride! Paul is not expressing a false humility.

“This grace was given” - This privilege, the unmerited favor from God, to trust in Paul to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles.

“Unfathomable riches of Christ” - A fathom is a depth measurement, thereby the riches are bottomless, to much to measure. The KJV says “unsearchable” - which is literally “not tracked out”. The implication is clear! In Christ we have so much, that the full measure will never be known to us.

Vs. 9 - “and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;”

“bring to light... administration... mystery” - To help men see how God’s plan works. From verse 8, Paul was given two tasks: (1) Preach to the Gentiles; (2) To point out the working out of God’s mystery.

“Which for ages” - (Col 1:26) - It was not until Christ was crucified, glorified, that it became clear that salvation was available to all - both Jew and Gentile. But this was alluded to in the Old Testament (Psa 86:9; Isa 9:2, 42:1, 49:6, 55:5, 60:3; Hos 2:23; Mal 1:11). Surely leaders of the Jews knew that salvation was to be available to the Gentiles, but...
Even the verses listed above do not convey just how the Gentiles would have (or gain) such direct access to God. Knowing how people think, the Jews probably felt, to the last, that any access to God would be through Judaism. They did not heed Jesus’ warning (Matt 21:43).

Vs. 10 - “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”

In this verse we see the purpose of exposing God’s working out of His plan. If I understand this verse, God hid His plan of salvation for everyone for many generations, even hundreds of years. The method (acceptance of Christ as Savior - see Rom 10:9-10; Heb 11:6) was not fully explained nor revealed. And the fact that now all may come, in Him, was especially astonishing. Through the church the gospel is spread.
God’s wisdom, through the teaching by example, through the teaching of the prophets, by “types”, etc., all point to Christ. Hindsight is 20/20 vision. As we look back and have had 2000+ years to analyze we see the teaching that brings us to Christ. God’s purpose was to reveal, through the church, that salvation is open to all. God’s purpose was to reveal to Satan and his cohorts, that salvation was now simple - in Christ. We may never know, but I can’t help but believe that Satan was shocked, dismayed, stunned to hear God’s Good News.

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Eph. 3:4-7 - The Mystery of Christ

4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
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Gentiles are Fellow Heirs

Vs. 4 - "By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,"

“By referring to this, when you read” - As you read the other letter (or previous information in this letter) Paul says you will begin to understand how I know what I know. (See: 1 Pet 1:10-12; Col 1:26-27)

Vs. 5 - “which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;” - 

God’s Holy Spirit, working in and through the believers in Christ (specifically - through the apostle Paul) began to reveal the “mystery” of salvation for all who come. (Acts 13:46-48, 15:7-19).

Vs. 6 - “to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,”

“Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body” - (See: Eph 2:11-15; Gal 3:26-29; Col 3:11) The mystery - and it is still is - the gospel is an open book, to all who will look in. Christ is the only way (John14:6; Acts 4:12), but no one will be turned away (John 6:37-40).

Vs. 7 - “of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.”

“I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace” - God’s power worked; God’s grace bestowed; as a result of the two working together Paul responded, and preached the gospel (See: 1 Cor 15:3-6; John 3:16) to the Gentiles.

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Ephesians 3:1-3 - We Are All Joint Heirs With Christ

Chapter 3 - Outline
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

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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 Grace

1 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.

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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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Eph. 2:19-22 - No Longer Strangers and Aliens

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

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We Are God's Dwelling Place

Vs. 19 - "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household," -

“So then... no longer... aliens” - Because of Christ’s work (2:11-18).

“Fellow citizens... of God’s households” - Members of God’s house are believers. Non-believers are not spiritually co-equal. Every believer has the same standing - in Christ (Col. 1:13-14). Non-believers have no standing.

“Saints” - Holy ones = true believers. (See: Psa 27:4). Note it is “with the saints”. The original first followers and believers were Jewish. We Gentiles are co-equal in Christ.

Vs. 20 -  “ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,” - 

“Having been built... prophets” - This household, all the members of God’s family (see end of v. 19), See: 1 Cor 3:9ff; Matt 16:16ff. The church is founded upon the teachings of the prophets and the apostles that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and our personal Savior. See: Acts 5:12. This is the foundation - 1 Pet 1:10-12.

“Christ Jesus... cornerstone” - A cornerstone is: 

(1) a stone joining two walls together;
(2) the starting point of a building or construction;  

(3) something of fundamental importance.

Christ is all three in the life of the church.

(1) He joins the Jew and Gentile together into one faith;
(2) Jesus is the beginning of the church. (Col 2:18-29)
(3) Jesus is so fundamental that without Him we are nothing, (1 Cor 15:17, 19)

Vs. 21 - “ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,” - 

“in whom the whole building” - In Christ the entire church is “growing into a holy temple” (Col 2:19). Note that we are fitted together - not just helter-skelter, but neatly. We each have our place and our job to make the church function smoothly, with one purpose - to glorify God. (1 Cor 3:16ff).

Vs. 22 - “ “ in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” - 

 “built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” - God dwells in the church in HIs Holy Spirit, and in Christ the church has its existence. Note: the church has no existence outside of Christ, who is God. Yet, the church is formed for the purpose to provide a dwelling place for the Spirit of God. A true picture of God beginning and completing a work. (Phil 1:6).

Verse 11-22 are an essay on the equality of our position in Christ. Our relationship to God does not depend on who we are, or what we do - it depends upon Christ. “In Him all things come together; He is before and in all things.” (Col. 1:15-20)

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Eph. 2:17-18 - He Preached Peace and Access

17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR;
18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

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Peace - Both Far and Near

Vs. 17 - This is a quote from Isaiah;  See: Isa 57:19; Matt 2:33-46; Eph 2:12-13. 

“Near” = Jews. The Jews had the advantage over the Gentiles. Unfortunately they did not grasp that 'near' position. God chose the descendants of Abraham to be the vehicle that brought the savior, Jesus Christ, into the world. But they almost squandered that advantage by dismissing the Lord and not following his commands. Although they were 'closer' to God, there was no discernible difference between Jews and Gentiles. Now they would raise their hand and object to that statement - they have the Passover, and Pentecost, and the temple, and the Laws handed down in the desert during the exile. Some believed that doing the rituals (sacrifices) and celebrating the holy days made them good enough. To bring that to ‘today’ - if you celebrate Christmas, does that make your life acceptable to the Lord? How about showing up at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter? These do not evidence a heart given to Jesus. 

“Far” = Gentiles. The Gentiles were enemies - they were the "heathens" - i.e., anyone who was not Jewish. That meant every nation, every people surrounding Judah/Israel were heathens. It also meant the heathens did not worship the Lord, the God of Israel. Note: Christ preached peace with God to both.

Vs. 18 - “for through Him “ - This all happens through Christ alone. We have no power to make this happen.

 “access in one Spirit” - We have access to the Father through Jesus Christ in one Spirit — “we” is both Jew and Gentile. (See: Eph 4:4 John 14:26, 15:26; Rom 5:5; 1 Cor 12:13 ) There is only one Holy Spirit, given to us as a pledge, a guarantee of our hope in glory. In one Spirit we can worship God, because of Christ!

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