Exegesis and Exposition of Ephesians 3:4

EXEGESIS AND EXPOSITION OF EPHESIANS 3:4 Pastor William E. Wenstrom Jr. WENSTROM BIBLE MINISTRIES Huntsville, AL 35801 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries Exegesis and Exposition of Ephesians 3:4 Original Text of Ephesians 3:1-4 Ephesians 3:1 Τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος ὁ δέσμιος τοῦ Χριστοῦ [Ἰησοῦ] ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν 2 — εἴ γε ἠκούσατε τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς, 3 [ὅτι] κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον, καθὼς προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ, 4 πρὸς ὃ δύνασθε ἀναγινώσκοντες νοῆσαι τὴν σύνεσίν μου ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. (NA28) Paul’s Insight into the Mystery of Christ Ephesians 3:1 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 that was given to me for you, 3 that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. 4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ. (NET) Ephesians 3:4 is composed of the following: (1) preposition pros (πρός), which is not translated (2) accusative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “this” (3) second person plural present middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι), “you will be able” (4) nominative masculine plural present active participle conjugation of the verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω), “when reading” (5) aorist active infinitive conjugation of the verb noeō (νοέω), “to understand” (6) articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun sunesis (σύνεσις), “insight” (7) genitive first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “I” (8) preposition en (ἐν), “into” (9) articular nominative neuter singular form of the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “this secret” (10) articular genitive masculine singular form of the proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ.” The accusative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) pertains to a relative reference to any entity, event, or state, either occurring overtly in the immediate context or clearly implied in the discourse setting. The referent of this word is the articular nominative neuter singular form of the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “the mystery,” which appears in Ephesians 3:3. This is indicated by the fact that they agree in gender (neuter) and number (singular). This mystery refers to revelation Paul received from the Holy Spirit and was not known to the Old Testament prophets of Israel. The content of this revelation is that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1 The accusative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) is the object is the object of the preposition pros (πρός), which means “with regards to, with reference to, concerning” since it functions as a marker to indicate a connection by marking a point of reference. 1 In this context, it is marking this mystery doctrine of the church age as being the connection between what Paul wrote about it in the first two chapters of this epistle and what he is going to write about in Ephesians 3:5-13. The nominative masculine plural present active participle conjugation of the verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) pertains to having a particular piece of literature read publicly or aloud to people and thus involves verbalization. The referent of the masculine plural form of this verb is the Gentile Christian community living in the various cities and towns throughout the Roman province of Asia. This is indicated by the fact that Paul identifies the recipients of this epistle in Ephesians 2:11 as Gentile Christians and this epistle is a circular letter. Therefore, this verb in Ephesians 3:4 refers to the Spirit inspired contents of Ephesians being read publicly to each member of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia by their lectors and pastor-teachers and through which contents, Paul describes this mystery doctrine that is unique to the church age. This word anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) is in the nominative case and functions as a nominative in simple apposition which means it stands in apposition to the nominative subject, which is articular nominative neuter singular form of the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “the mystery,” which appears in Ephesians 3:3. Here the participle conjugation of this verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) in the nominative case and describes this mystery as being read publicly to the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia. The present tense of this verb is a customary present, which is used to signal an action that regularly takes place. Therefore, this would describe these Gentile Christians as “making it their habit of” hearing read publicly in the public worship service this mystery doctrine. The active voice of this verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) is a simple active, which indicates that the subject performs the action indicated by the verb. Therefore, this would describe these Gentile Christians as the subject performing the action of hearing read publicly to them the contents of this epistle by their lectors and pastors, which explains in detail this mystery doctrine. This verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) also functions as a participle of means which indicates the means by which the action of a finite verb is accomplished. This type of participle defines the action of its controlling verb and makes more explicit what the author intended to convey with the verb. This type of participle usually follows the main verb. In this context, the finite verb is the second person plural present Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 875). University of Chicago Press. 1 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2 middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι), “you will be able” whose thought is completed by the aorist active infinitive conjugation of the verb noeō (νοέω), “to understand.” Also, in this context, the verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) follows the main verb, which we noted is the verb dunamai (δύναμαι), “you will be able.” Therefore, the participle conjugation of the verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) is describing the means by which the recipients of this letter will be able to understand Paul’s insight into this mystery of Christ. Namely, by hearing read publicly to them the contents of this letter by their lectors and pastors in the public worship service, which explains in detail this mystery doctrine. The second person plural aorist middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι) means to have power by virtue of inherent ability or resources and has the following meanings: (1) To be able, to be capable of (2) To be able, with specific reference to the subjective spiritual or moral attitude which either makes able or not; to will or not to will. (3) To be equal to, to count as, to signify. Words deriving from the stem duna- all have the basic meaning of “being able,” of “capacity” in virtue of an ability. The noun dunamis suggests the inherent capacity of someone or something to carry something out, whether it be physical, spiritual, military or political. It indicates the power to act which given as of right to anyone by virtue of the position he holds. The Septuagint uses dunamai (δύναμαι) to translate more than a dozen Hebrew words associated with ability or capacity (or lack of it) to perform a task. It is especially used for yakhol. In numerous instances dunamai (δύναμαι) is used in a negative sense to show the contrast between the limits or loss of human power over personal fate (cf. Ex. 8:18; Le. 26:37; Is. 24:20; Da. 2:26; 5:8) and the omnipotence of Yahweh. The verb dunamai (δύναμαι) is used to translate the following Hebrew terms: (1) Gibbor, “warrior” (Hos. 10:13). (2) Yakhol, “be able” (Gn. 29:8; Neh. 6:3); “overpower” (Ob. 7). (3) Yekhi, “be able” (Dn. 2:10, 47; 3:29-Aramaic). (4) Yasaph, “add, increase;” hiphil: “do again” (Is. 24:20). (5) Kehal, “be able” (Dn. 5:8Aramaic). (6) Kul, “lay hold of;” hiphil: “hold” (1 K. 8:64; Jer. 2:13). (7) Kalah, “end;” piel: “finish” (Neh. 4:2-Sixtine Edition only). (8) Matsa, “find” (Jb. 32:3). (9) `atsa, “refrain” (2 Ch. 20:37). The verb dunamai (δύναμαι) appears extensively in the Greek New Testament. As in the Septuagint, the New Testament uses dunamai (δύναμαι) to express ability and capacity to accomplish something in deed, attitude or thought. Louw and Nida define the word, “to be able to do or to experience something.” 2 A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature-Third Edition defines the verb “to possess capability (whether because of 2 Louw and Nida 74.5 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3 personal or external factors) for experiencing or doing something can, am able, be capable.”3 Now, in Ephesians 3:4, the second person plural present middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι) pertains to possessing the capacity to understand a particular subject. The referent of the second person plural of this verb is of course the recipients of this epistle who were members of the Gentile Christian community living in the various cities and towns in the Roman province of Asia. The aorist active infinitive conjugation of the verb noeō (νοέω) means “to understand, comprehend on the basis of careful thought and consideration.”4 It means “to grasp the meaning of a particular subject intellectually.” The word noeō (νοέω) functions as a complementary infinitive which means that it is completing the thought of the second person plural present middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι) because it identifies for the reader what they will be able to do by reading the contents of this epistle. The noun articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun sunesis (σύνεσις) appears 279 times in classical literature where it is used in a figurative sense of “to perceive, understand, comprehend.” It also had a literal meaning of “union” or “joining together.” But most of the time it is used in a figurative sense of “understanding, knowledge, discernment,” or “comprehension.” The noun occurs 118 times in the LXX where it describes practical judgment rather than theoretical understanding of the world. It is used with the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge in relation to the Messiah. It is used in Proverbs for the understanding that is needed to please the Lord (Prov. 2:1-9). The noun sunesis (σύνεσις) is found only 7 times in the Greek New Testament (Mark 12:33; Luke 2:47; 1 Cor. 1:19; Eph. 3:4; Col. 1:9; 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:7). In Mark 12:33, the word is used of a person’s mind in loving God. In Luke 2:47, it is used of Jesus Christ’s amazing comprehension or understanding of the Old Testament at the age of twelve. This word occurs in 1 Corinthians 1:19 where Paul uses it of the “cleverness” of those who are considered wise by the unregenerate world. In Colossians 1:9 and 2:2, the noun sunesis (σύνεσις) means “insight, discernment” since it pertains to the result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively. It pertains to the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure, skill in discerning, and the power to see what is not evident to the average mind. This word refers to the ability to choose what is God’s will and what is not. In Second Timothy 2:7, the noun sunesis means “insight, understanding” since it pertains to the result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing 3 4 Pages 261-262 Louw and Nida, 32.2 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4 intuitively. It pertains to the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure, skill in discerning, and the power to see what is not evident to the average mind. In this passage, it is used of the apostle Paul’s teaching in Second Timothy 2:1-6. Therefore, it refers to understanding with regards to this teaching in the sense that the Spirit will enable Timothy to grasp and comprehend this teaching which is obscure to the unregenerate mind or regenerate mind out of fellowship with God. It speaks of understanding this teaching so as to make personal application in Timothy’s life. Now, here in Ephesians 3:4, the noun sunesis (σύνεσις) means “insight” since the word pertains possessing the ability to understand the meaning and importance of something. As was the case in Colossians 1:9, 2:2 and 2 Timothy 2:7, the noun sunesis (σύνεσις) here in Ephesians 3:4 pertains to the result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively. It pertains to the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure, skill in discerning, and the power to see what is not evident to the average mind. The nominative first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) means “my” and its referent is of course Paul. The articular construction of the noun sunesis (σύνεσις) is employed with this personal pronoun in order to denote possession indicating that this insight or discernment is the possession of the apostle Paul. This word sunesis (σύνεσις) functions as an accusative direct object, which means that it is receives the action of the verb noeō (νοέω). Therefore, this indicates that Paul’s insight into the mystery of Christ receives the action of being comprehended by the recipients of this epistle by making it their habit of hearing read publicly to them in the public worship service by their pastors and lectors the Spirit inspired contents of Ephesians, which explains in detail this mystery doctrine. The present tense of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι) is a customary or stative present indicating that the subject exists in the state indicated by the verb. Therefore, this would express the idea of the recipients of this epistle “existing in the state of” possessing the capacity to comprehend Paul’s insight into the mystery of Christ. The middle voice of this verb dunamai (δύναμαι) is an indirect middle, which means that the subject acts for himself or herself. Therefore, this would express the idea that it would be “for the benefit of” the recipients of this epistle to be able to comprehend Paul’s insight into the mystery of Christ. The indicative mood of this verb is declarative meaning that it is presenting this assertion as a non-contingent or unqualified statement. The aorist tense of the verb noeō (νοέω) is an ingressive aorist, which emphasizes the entrance into a particular state or condition. Therefore, this indicates that the recipients of this epistle will be able to “enter into the state of” comprehending Paul’s insight into the mystery of Christ. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5 The active voice of this verb noeō (νοέω) is a stative active, which indicates that the subject exists in the state indicated by the verb. Therefore, this indicates that the recipients of this epistle will “exist in the state of” comprehending Paul’s insight into the mystery of Christ. As was the case in Ephesians 3:3, the noun mustērion (μυστήριον) means “mystery, secret, divine secret” since it pertains to revelation that was not known to the Old Testament prophets of Israel but has been given to the apostles and New Testament prophets by the Holy Spirit. As was the case in Ephesians 3:3, here in Ephesians 3:4 the referent of this word is the revelation that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. The articular construction of the noun mustērion (μυστήριον) is anaphoric, which means that it is pointing out that this noun was used in the previous immediate context, namely Ephesians 3:3, and that it is retaining the same meaning and referent here in Ephesians 3:4. It is also monadic, which means that this mystery is unique because never before in history were Gentile believers on equal footing with Jewish believers. This use of the article is indicated by the genitive adjunct tou Christou (τοῦ Χριστοῦ), “of Christ” (NET) of the noun mustērion (μυστήριον). Thus the entire expression tō mystēriō tou Christou (τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ), “this secret of Christ” (NET) is expressing a monadic notion. The noun mustērion (μυστήριον) is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), which functions as a marker of content. Thus, this preposition marks the content of what Paul possessed insight into, namely, this unique mystery or secret. The proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” contains the figure of metonymy which means that the one and only Christ is put for the church age believer’s union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification. This interpretation is indicated by the contents of Ephesians 3:5-13, which reveal the content of this mystery, namely that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. The articular construction of this word is monadic emphasizing that Jewish and Gentile church age believer’s union and identification with Jesus Christ is unique in history. This is indicated by the fact that unlike the church age, Gentile believers in previous dispensations have never been on equal footing with Jewish believers in the sense that they have never been given the privilege of being in a covenant relationship with God as Jewish believers. The articular construction of the proper name Christos (Χριστός) functions as a genitive of production, which takes place when the genitive substantive “produces” 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 6 the noun to which it stands related, which in our context is the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “mystery.” Therefore, this construction expresses the idea that this mystery or secret doctrine, which asserts that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise is “produced by” their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. Translation of Ephesians 3:1-4 Ephesians 3:1 For this reason, I myself, Paul, the prisoner owned by and under the authority of the one and only Christ who is Jesus for the benefit of each and every one of you as a corporate unit, who are Gentiles—2 if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that each and every one of you as a corporate unit have surely heard about the stewardship, which is unique to the grace, which originates from the one and only God, which was given to me for the benefit of all of you as a corporate unit without exception. (Of course, every one of you have in fact heard about it.) 3 Namely that, the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself as revelation as I wrote beforehand in a concise manner. 4 Concerning which, that is, by each one of you making it your habit of hearing read publicly, all of you will for your own benefit become able to comprehend my insight into this incomparable mystery, which is produced by your unique union and identification with Christ. (Author’s translation) Expanded translation of Ephesians 3:1-4 Ephesians 3:1 For this reason, I myself, Paul, the prisoner owned by and under the authority of the one and only Christ who is Jesus for the benefit of each and every one of you as a corporate unit, who are Gentiles—2 if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that each and every one of you as a corporate unit have surely heard about the stewardship, which is unique to the grace, which originates from the one and only God, which was given to me for the benefit of all of you as a corporate unit without exception. (Of course, every one of you have in fact heard about it.) 3 Namely that, the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself as revelation as I wrote beforehand in a concise manner. 4 Concerning which, that is, by each one of you making it your habit of hearing read publicly, all of you will for your own benefit enter into the state of being able to comprehend my insight into this incomparable mystery, which is produced by your unique union and identification with Christ. (Author’s translation) 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7 Exposition of Ephesians 3:4 We noted in our introduction that Ephesians is divided into two main sections. Chapters 1-3 contains the “indicatives of the faith” while chapters 4-6 contain the “imperatives.” Therefore, the latter presents the practical application of the former. The prologue or preface of the letter appears in Ephesians 1:3-14. There are also two magnificent intercessory prayers offered by Paul to the Father for the recipients of the epistle. The first appears in Ephesians 1:15-23 and serves as a hinge to chapters two and three. Its purpose is for the recipients of the letter to gain understanding regarding the contents of the first two chapters. The second intercessory prayer for the recipients of the letter appears in Ephesians 3:14-21 and serves as a hinge to the final three chapters. It presents the practical application of the first three chapters. The letter begins with Paul’s customary present greeting in the first two verses. He notes that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:1) and that grace and peace originated not only from the Father but also the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:2). As we noted, the preface of the letter appears in Ephesians 1:3-14. Paul begins by asserting that along with the Father, the Lord is worthy of praise and glorification (Eph. 1:3). The apostle then states that the Father chose the Ephesian Christian community “in Christ” before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) because of their union and identification with Christ which took place at the moment of their justification through the baptism of the Spirit. Paul then teaches that the Father predestined them for adoption as His sons through their union and identification with Christ (Eph. 1:5). He asserts that they received the Father’s grace through His Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:6). Not only this, but they have received redemption through the blood or death of Jesus, namely the forgiveness of our trespasses (Eph. 1:7). The Father did this when He revealed to the church the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that he set forth through the person of Christ (Eph. 1:9-10). Paul teaches that all things will be summed up in Christ, namely the things in heaven and the things on earth. The Christian has been claimed as the Father’s own possession because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ because they were predestined according to the Father’s purpose (Eph. 1:11). They were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit because they trusted in Jesus Christ at their justification (Eph. 1:13). The first prayer, which we noted appears in Ephesians 1:15-22, teaches that the omnipotence of the Father was manifested when He raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:20). The Father also put all of creation and every creature under the authority of His Son who He gave to the church as head over all creation and every creature (Eph. 1:21-23). In chapter two, Paul teaches that despite the fact that the recipients of the epistle were spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins and as a result were children of 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8 wrath as the rest of the human race prior to their justification, God the Father raised them up and seated them with His one and only Son, Jesus Christ because of His great love (Eph. 2:1-7). He asserts that the Father raised the church age believer up with Christ and seated them with Him at the moment of their justification through the baptism of the Spirit (Eph. 2:5-6). They were saved from the wrath of God by grace through the object of their faith, namely Jesus Christ and absolutely not on their own meritorious actions (Eph. 2:8-9). The believer is the Father’s workmanship who has been created through their union and identification with Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so they would perform them (Eph. 2:810). Paul then asserts that the Father reconciled Jews and Gentiles through the person and work of His Son (Eph. 2:11-22). Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of this spiritual temple. Now, in chapter three, the apostle Paul teaches the Christian community regarding the mystery of Christ, which is that Gentile believers are fellow-heirs with Jewish believers, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:1-6). Paul teaches that the Father’s eternal plan was accomplished through His Son (Eph. 3:7-11). The believer has confident access to the Father in prayer because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:12). The apostle also asserts that he prayed to the Father that Christ would dwell in the hearts of the Christian community in the Roman province of Asia and that they would know experientially Christ’s love for them (Eph. 3:14-21). In Ephesians 3:1, the referent of the genitive neuter singular form of the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos (οὗτος), “this” is the contents of the Ephesians 2:11-22 since this word is put in the neuter gender indicating the writer is not referring to a particular word in Ephesians 2:11-22 but rather the entire contents of this pericope. The genitive neuter singular form of the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos (οὗτος), “this” is the object of the improper preposition charin (χάριν), which always appears after its object. It can express purpose or cause. Here it is marker of reason indicating that the contents of Ephesians 2:11-22 are the basis or the reason for Paul’s intercessory prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. It does not function as a marker of purpose, which would indicate that the contents of Ephesians 2:11-22 are the purpose for which Paul intercedes in prayer to the Father on behalf of the recipients of this epistle. This is indicated by the fact that these verses are not an object or end to be attained or the intended result Paul communicating this mystery of Christ. In other words, these verses do not constitute the intended result of Paul communicating this mystery because in Ephesians 3:2 he asserts that the reason why he communicates this mystery, i.e., the gospel is that the Father gave him this stewardship to do this. Rather, the contents of Ephesians 2:1122 serve as the basis for Paul interceding in prayer on behalf of the recipients of this 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 9 epistle since they constitute the new humanity, which along with Jesus Christ, will rule over the works of God’s hands during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Therefore, this expression Toutou charin (Τούτου χάριν), “for this reason” is anaphoric rather than kataphoric. The former means that it is pointing to the immediate preceding context and specifically, the contents of the Ephesians 2:1122, which serves as the basis for the intercessory prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. The latter means that it is pointing forward to the contents of Ephesians 3:2-13, which is autobiographical. Specifically, it is a digression in that Paul does not communicate his intercessory prayer on behalf of the recipients of this letter until Ephesians 3:1421 in order to remind them that he is a communicator of the mystery of Christ, which he also identifies as the gospel in Ephesians 3:7. Paul interrupts himself and digresses in order to provide the reader with more insight into the church as a mystery and his responsibility to communicate this mystery to the Gentiles. He describes it as a mystery because it was not known to Old Testament prophets but has now been revealed by the Spirit through the teaching of the apostles and specifically himself. In Ephesians 3:2-6, he defines this mystery by asserting that Gentile believers are fellow-heirs with Jewish believers, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. Then in Ephesians 3:7-11, he asserts that the Father’s eternal plan was accomplished through His Son. In Ephesians 3:12, he teaches that the believer has confident access to the Father in prayer because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ. Lastly, in Ephesians 3:13, he asks the recipients of this letter to not lose heart because of this imprisonment, which was for their glory. Therefore, the contents of Ephesians 2:11-22 could not possibly be the basis for the digression in Ephesians 3:2-13 because the church composed of both Jewish and Gentile Christian communities and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit is not the reason why Paul’s has a stewardship to communicate the mystery of Christ. In fact, he asserts in Ephesians 3:2 that the reason why he possesses this stewardship is that the Father gave it to him. Rather, the contents of Ephesians 2:11-22 are the basis for Paul’s intercessory prayer recorded in Ephesians 3:14-21. Lastly, the expression Toutou charin (Τούτου χάριν), which appears in Ephesians 3:1, appears again in Ephesians 3:14 indicating that Paul is resuming his thought which began in Ephesians 3:1 and interrupted with an autobiographical digression in Ephesians 3:2-13. This is not the first time in Ephesians that Paul has begun a thought but breaks it off temporarily but then resumes it again since he does this in Ephesians 2:1-5. The thought begun in Ephesians 2:1 is not completed until Ephesians 2:5-6, which thus creates an “anacoluthon” in Ephesians 2:2-4, which means that there is a break in the grammar. In Ephesians 2:1-3, the main verb and the subject have not been mentioned until Ephesians 2:4 where the subject God the Father is mentioned and the main verb is mentioned in Ephesians 2:5, which we 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 10 noted is the third person singular aorist active indicative conjugation of the verb syzōopoieō (συζωοποιέω), “made alive together” (NET). Ephesians 2:1-4 is one incomplete sentence in order leave the readers in suspense as to how God the Father would solve the dilemma the recipients of this epistle were in prior to their justification. To mark the resumption of this thought Paul employs almost the same identical protasis of a concessive clause, which appears in Ephesians 2:1. If you recall, in Ephesians 2:5, Paul asserts ontas hēmas nekrous tois paraptōmasin (ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν), “Even though each and every one of us as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of our transgressions.” (Author’s translation). The only difference between the two is that the one in Ephesians 2:1 employs the accusative second personal plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), which refers to the recipients of the Ephesian epistle. On the other hand, the one in Ephesians 2:5 employs the accusative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), which refers to both Paul and the recipients of this epistle. Therefore, the conjunction kai (καί) in Ephesians 2:5 introduces a concessive clause, which resumes and completes the one it introduces in Ephesians 2:1 but with a slight difference in subject. Therefore, in Ephesians 3:1-14, Paul once again employs the figure of anacoluthon and in Ephesians 3:14, he marks the resumption of his thought by repeating the exact same expression Toutou charin (Τούτου χάριν), which begins Ephesians 3:1. Thus, the evidence within Ephesians itself indicates that the expression Toutou charin (Τούτου χάριν) in Ephesians 3:1 is anaphoric rather than kataphoric. This expression appears in only one other place in Paul’s writings, namely, Titus 1:5. Therefore, in Ephesians 3:1, the expression Toutou charin (Τούτου χάριν), “for this reason” is anaphoric, which means that it is pointing to the immediate preceding context and specifically, the contents of the Ephesians 2:11-22, which serves as the basis for the intercessory prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. Now, in Ephesians 3:1, the nominative first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “I myself” serves to emphasize with the reader that the apostle Paul is a prisoner of Christ Jesus Christ on behalf of the Gentile Christian community in order to proclaim this mystery of Christ. The use of the nominative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) here in Ephesians 3:1 is unnecessary in Greek since the form of a finite verb in this language indicates the person, number and gender of the subject. In context, the finite verb appears in Ephesians 3:14 and is the first person singular present active indicative conjugation of the verb kamptō (κάμπτω), “I kneel” which indicates the person, number and gender of the subject, which we noted is nominative first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) and refers to Paul. This is what makes Greek an “inflectional” language. When the personal 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 11 pronoun is used therefore, it may serve to clarify the subject or contrast the subject with someone else or for emphasis. Here it is used for emphasis since it serves to emphasize with the reader that the apostle Paul is a prisoner of Christ Jesus Christ on behalf of the Gentile Christian community in order to proclaim this mystery of Christ. It is also used to mark a contrast between the apostle Paul who was Jewish Christian and the recipients of this epistle who were Gentile Christians. The referent of the nominative first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) is the apostle Paul, which is indicated by the nominative masculine singular form of the proper name Paulos (Παῦλος), “Paul,” which means “little” or “short.” He uses this name to refer to himself when he is communicating to or living among the members of the Gentile Christian community. When living among the Jews, he used his Jewish name Saul. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ authorized him to be the apostle to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 9:15; 22:21; Romans 11:13; 15:16; Galatians 1:15-16; 2:2, 7-9). The proper name Paulos (Παῦλος), “Paul” is further evidence in the Ephesian epistle that the apostle Paul was the author of Ephesians. As we noted in our introduction of this letter, the traditional view of the church from its inception is that the apostle Paul wrote Ephesians. However, in modern times, this view has been challenged. Some of the modern critics contend that the vocabulary, style and teaching differ from the writings which are universally accepted as Pauline. They also argue that the letter is “pseudonymous.” The term “pseudonymity” refers to the practice of publishing one’s writings under a revered person’s name. Ephesians was extensively, indisputably and universally accepted throughout the Roman Empire in the early church as a letter written by the apostle Paul. Church fathers such as Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement of Rome, and Origen all regarded the epistle as written by Paul. Both Marcion and the Muratorian canon list it as Pauline. Furthermore, as in Ephesians 3:1, Ephesians 1:1 identifies Paulos, “Paul” as the author of the epistle to the Ephesians. The letter itself contains Pauline language including words that appear not only in this letter but also in the undisputed letters of Paul and yet these words do not appear anywhere else in the Greek New Testament. In typical Pauline fashion, Paul ascribes his apostolic authority to the will of God (cf. Eph. 1:1; cf. 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Col. 1:1). Paul’s name is even found in Ephesians 3:1 just as it does in his so-called undisputed letters (cf. 2 Cor. 10:1; Gal. 5:2; Col. 1:23; 1 Thess. 2:18). The structure of the Ephesian epistle is in accordance with the rest of the Pauline corpus. It follows the usual structure of a Pauline letter in that it begins with a salutation followed by a thanksgiving section, then the body of the letter and ending with final remarks and a benediction. The entire letter is in line with Pauline theology found in his other letters. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 12 The Ephesian epistle is not a “pseudonymous” letter since this practice was frowned upon by the early church. This is supported by the fact that Paul would guarantee the authenticity of his letters to protect against forgeries or someone posing as him in a letter by putting his own distinguishing mark at the end of the letter. (cf. 2 Thess. 3:17-18; Gal. ; Col. 4:18). Furthermore, as we noted, Paul identifies himself as the author of this letter, which bears his name and there is no evidence whatsoever that this epistle was written by someone else. The existence of the practice of pseudonymity in the ancient world is not disputed since it is well documented. It was used in Greco-Roman cultures as a literary means of drawing on ancient authorities to address contemporary situations. This process was accepted and understood and was not consider something that was deceptive. However, this cannot be applied to Christianity. Tertullian describes an elder who has falsely written under the name of Paul in an attempt to increase Paul’s fame because he loved him. However, he was removed from his office (On Baptism). The early church was very much concerned about receiving authentic Pauline epistles and would totally reject the practice of pseudonymity. The early church was very concerned with problems of literary fraud and Paul was too as we can see in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 and Galatians 6:11. Some critics contend that Ephesians is pseudonymous because the contents are impersonal in nature. They argue that we would expect that Paul’s lengthy stay in Ephesus would prompt him to send personal greetings in this epistle. However, the absence of personal greetings and specific issues and conditions supports the idea that the Ephesian epistle is a circulatory letter intended for all the various house churches in the Roman province of Asia. Lastly, the scholars who reject Pauline authorship of Ephesians because of the close relationship between this letter and Colossians. They argue that it could not be possible for one person to write two letters which resemble each other so strikingly (cf. Eph. 6:21-22; Col. 4:7-8) and yet have significant differences (cf. Col. 2:2; Eph. 3:3-6). Guthrie answers by asserting “that two minds could not have produced two such works with so much subtle interdependence blended with independence.” 5 In the final analysis, the epistle of Ephesians should be regarded as written by the apostle Paul because the authenticity of this letter cannot be disproven. In Ephesians 3:1, the nominative masculine singular noun desmios (δέσμιος), “the prisoner” is used of Paul’s first Roman imprisonment because of the gospel. Acts 28 indicates that Paul was under house arrest during his first Roman imprisonment while awaiting his appeal before Caesar. However, in Second Timothy 1:8, the word is used of Paul’s second Roman imprisonment. 5 Guthrie, 511 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 13 The articular construction of the noun desmios (δέσμιος) is monadic, which expresses the “uniqueness” of Paul being a prisoner of the Roman civil authority despite the fact that he is owned by Jesus Christ and under His authority. As we noted in our introduction to the Ephesian epistle, where Paul was imprisoned has been debated by scholars in recent years. The traditional view of the church is that the Ephesian epistle was written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome awaiting his appeal before Caesar. This view went unchallenged for eighteen centuries. However, in modern times, there are those who dissent. Two locales have been put forth by scholars, namely Ephesus and Caesarea. The burden of proof rests with an Ephesus and Caesarea origin since church tradition holds to Paul writing Ephesians, Philemon and Colossians while under house arrest in Rome. A critical factor in a Roman origin of this epistle is that Luke is with Paul during his imprisonment (see Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24). This is supported by Acts since it makes clear Paul’s Ephesian ministry does not occur in the “we” section of Acts. The traditional view, that Paul was in Rome when he wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, is still by far the best view because of the obvious connection between Colossians and Ephesians. This is indicated by the fact that Tychicus is named the courier of both letters (cf. Col. 4:7-8; Eph. 6:21-22), thus both letters were written at the same place and time, namely during his first Roman imprisonment, which we noted took place from approximately 60-62 A.D. Paul had two Roman imprisonments: (1) A.D. 60-62: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon (2) A.D. 68: 2 Timothy, Hebrews. The apostle Paul wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon during his first Roman imprisonment while he was awaiting his appeal before Caesar and he was actually permitted to have his own rented quarters in Rome with a Roman soldier guarding him (See Acts 28). As was the case in Ephesians 1:2, the proper nouns Iesous (Ἰησοῦς), “Jesus” and Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” here in Ephesians 3:1 are used by Paul to describe the incarnate Son of God as well as His person and work and what He has accomplished in history through this work as well as His status in relation to creation and every creature. Thus, they also describe His relationship to the church. The word Christos (Χριστός) denotes the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth; thus He is the Deliverer of the human race in three areas through His death, resurrection, ascension and session: (1) Satan (2) Cosmic System (3) Old Sin Nature. The Lord’s Messiahship has a four-fold significance: (1) Separation unto God. (2) Authorization from God. (3) Divine enablement. (4) The coming Deliverer. It also signifies the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth who is the God-Man. Christos (Χριστός) signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was accomplished by His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 14 deaths on the cross. The word signifies that Jesus of Nazareth has been given authority by God the Father to forgive sins, give eternal life, and authority over all creation and every creature as a result of His execution of the Father’s salvation plan. It denotes that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit during His First Advent. Lastly, Christos (Χριστός) signifies that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised deliverer of the human race from the bondage of Satan, his cosmic system and the old Adamic sin nature. The articular construction of this word indicates that the referent of this word is in a class by himself and the only one deserving of the name since there were many individuals in the first century A.D. who claimed to be the Christ or were proclaimed to be the Christ. Thus, this construction emphasizes the “incomparability” of Jesus Christ. The genitive masculine singular form of the proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” functions as a possession, which indicates that Jesus Christ “possesses” or Paul or we could say that the Lord “owns” him. This word also functions as a genitive of subordination, which would indicate that Paul was under the authority of Jesus Christ. This expression ho desmios tou Christou Iēsou (ὁ δέσμιος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ), “the prisoner, owned by and under the authority of Christ, who is Jesus” is not only used by Paul in Ephesians 3:1 to describe himself but also he used it in Philemon 1 and 9. He uses the expression ho desmios en kyriō (ὁ δέσμιος ἐν κυρίῳ), “prisoner of the Lord” in Ephesians 4:1 to describe himself. In each instance, he was under house arrest during his first Roman imprisonment awaiting his appeal before Caesar. The proper noun Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), “Jesus” refers to the human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth and functions as a genitive of simple apposition, which indicates that it clarifies who is Christ here, namely Jesus of Nazareth since there were many in the first century who made the claim. The genitive second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ) means “each and every one of you as a corporate unit” or “all of you without exception” since the word not only refers to the recipients of this epistle as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions. As we have noted throughout our study of the first two chapters of Ephesians, the referent of the second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ) are Gentile Christians according to the contents of Ephesians 2:11. The articular genitive neuter plural form of the noun ethnos (ἒθνος), “who are Gentiles” pertains to persons from an ethnic group or nation not allied with and trusting in the God of Israel who is Jesus Christ and is used in a collective sense for these people. Thus, this word is used of those members of the human race who are not of Jewish racial descent and thus not members of the covenant people of God, Israel. The articular construction of the word is “generic” which means that the 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 15 article is distinguishing the Gentile race from the Jewish race. This word functions as a genitive of simple apposition, which means that it is identifying specifically who the referent of the former is. Thus, this indicates that they are Gentiles racially. The genitive second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ) is the object of the preposition huper (ὑπέρ), which means “for the benefit of, on behalf of” since the word functions as a marker of benefaction or advantage expressing the idea that it was “for the benefit of” these Gentile Christians that Paul was a prisoner of the one and only Christ. This interpretation is supported by the contents of Ephesians 3:2, which asserts that the stewardship of God’s grace, i.e., being a communicator of the mystery of Christ, i.e., the gospel, was given to Paul for the benefit of the Gentile Christian community. It is also indicated by the contents of Ephesians 3:8, which asserts that this grace which was given to Paul by God the Father in order to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ to the Gentiles. Therefore, this prepositional phrase reveals that Paul did not consider himself a prisoner of the Roman civil authorities but rather a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Thus, he views his imprisonment as a part of the Father’s sovereign plan for his life as an apostle to the Gentiles. Consequently, he is comforted in his imprisonment by this fact. In fact, Paul was imprisoned because of the opposition of unregenerate Jews possessed with regards to him communicating the gospel to the Gentiles. Therefore, in Ephesians 3:1, the apostle Paul informs the recipients of this epistle, who we noted were Gentile Christians that he was suffering persecution because of his ministry on behalf of the Gentiles. References to persecution abound in Paul’s letters. The apostle Paul taught Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 that every believer who does at any time desire to live a godly life by means of fellowship with Jesus Christ will certainly be persecuted. Second Timothy 3:12 Now, in fact, each and every one who does at any time desire to live a godly life by means of fellowship with the Christ, who is Jesus, will certainly be persecuted. (Author’s translation) Persecution can take various forms in different countries and at different ages. Some persecution is blatantly overt and some persecution is very subtle taking the form of rejection which can include being ignored, patronized or mocked. It can take the form of condescension as well. Both forms express the hostility of those who are enslaved to sin and Satan and his cosmic system. Ephesians 3:2 is composed of a protasis of a first class condition that indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument and begins a sentence, which ends in Ephesians 3:7. The apodosis is not introduced until Ephesians 3:13, which leaves the protasis dangling. It is introduced explicitly in Ephesians 3:13 with the inferential use of the conjunction dio (διό). The first class condition is a tool of persuasion in that the writer uses it to persuade his audience to come to his conclusion in the 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 16 apodosis. The idea behind the first class condition is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that, then...” Here in Ephesians 3:2-12, the protasis of this first class conditional statement is designed to persuade the recipients of this epistle, who we noted were Gentile Christians, to follow a particular course of action, which in our context is obedience to the command in the apodosis to not become discouraged by Paul’s Roman imprisonment. Now, the protasis is not only contained in Ephesians 3:2 but also in Ephesians 3:3-12 with the latter explaining in greater detail the contents of the former. In other words, in Ephesians 3:3-12 explains in detail what Paul means by the expression “the stewardship of God’s grace,” which he also asserts was given to him for the benefit of the recipients of this epistle who are Gentile church age believers. The idea of the protasis is “if and let assume that it is true for the sake argument that all of you as a corporate unit without exception have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for the benefit of each and every one of you as a corporate unit.” This is a responsive first class condition indicating that the recipients of this letter, whom Ephesians 2:11 identifies as Gentile church age believers, would all agree with the protasis. This is indicated by the fact that these Gentile Christians are the direct result of Paul communicating the gospel to them. Specifically, they are the result of him communicating the mystery doctrine that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. In fact, Paul affirms in Ephesians 3:3-12 that this stewardship of God’s grace, which was given to him for the benefit of these Gentile church age believers was communicated to these Gentile church age believers by Paul through the Holy Spirit. As noted, “the stewardship of God’s grace” is then explained in greater detail in Ephesians 3:312. The apodosis, which we noted, is in Ephesians 3:13 and is “I ask each and every one of you as a corporate unit to not lose heart because of what I am suffering on behalf of all of you without exception, which is for the glory of each and every one of you as a corporate unit.” So therefore, as we noted the protasis is introduced in Ephesians 3:2 but explained in detail in Ephesians 3:3-12. In Ephesians 3:3-5, the apostle Paul defines this stewardship of God’s grace as the revelation of the mystery and asserts that he was given insight into this mystery of Christ, which was not known to Old Testament saints but has now been revealed to the apostles and New Testament prophets by the Spirit. In Ephesians 3:6, he defines this mystery of Christ as Gentile church age believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 17 partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. Then, in Ephesians 3:7-8, Paul asserts that he became a servant of the gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to him by the exercise of God’s power to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to enlighten everyone about God’s plan concealed from the saints in living in past dispensations. Thus, the implication is that Paul enlightened the recipients of this letter regarding God’s secret plan to have Jewish and Gentile believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him with the Jewish church age believers as a result of their obedience to the gospel. In Ephesians 3:10, Paul asserts that the purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaced wisdom of God would be disclosed during the church age to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms, which is a reference to Satan and his fellow evil spirits. Then, in Ephesians 3:11, he asserts that this was according to the eternal purpose that the Father accomplished by means of the Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father. Therefore, in this first class condition in Ephesians 3:2-12, Paul is persuading these Gentile church age believers to not lose heart because he was imprisoned unjustly because they have heard about his stewardship of God’s grace, which was given to him on their behalf. He is attempting to engage them in dwelling upon God’s amazing grace, i.e., unmerited blessing, which God bestowed upon him at his conversion. This stewardship is the mystery of Christ, which was communicated through the gospel by the apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ. The content of this revelation is that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. It was a mystery in the sense that it was a secret plan not known to Old Testaments but now communicated during the church age through the apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ. Paul became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given to him by the exercise of God’s power in order to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ. He also was given this gift in order to enlighten everyone in the Christian community about God’s secret plan that was hidden for ages in God. The purpose of this enlightenment we also noted was to disclose to Satan and his kingdom in the heavenly realms through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God. The implication is that they were not to lose heart because his imprisonment was the result of Satan and his kingdom persecuting him because of proclaiming this mystery 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 18 that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. Now, in Ephesians 3:2 and 13, the relationship between the protasis and the apodosis is “cause-effect.” The cause appears in the protasis, which we noted appears in Ephesians 3:2-12. The effect appears in the apodosis, which we noted appears in Ephesians 3:13. Therefore, this indicates that the Gentile Christian living throughout the various cities and towns in the Roman province of Asia must not be discouraged by Paul’s imprisonment because the purpose of this stewardship was for him to disclose to Satan and his kingdom in the heavenly realms through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God. The implication is that they were not to lose heart because his imprisonment was the result of Satan and his kingdom persecuting him because of proclaiming this mystery that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. In other words, these Gentile Christians should never be discouraged by his imprisonment because Paul’s proclamation of this mystery doctrine is an affront and presents a threat to Satan and his kingdom. Thus, it is no surprise that Satan and his fellow evil spirits, who temporarily govern the earth, attacked him to the point of causing him to be imprisoned unjustly by his own people, the Jews. Why was Satan upset by Paul communicating the gospel throughout the Roman Empire? Because the message of the gospel meant the demise of his kingdom on the earth. As we noted in our study of Ephesians 2:11-22, both Jewish and Gentile church age believers constitute the new humanity which will dispossess Satan and his fellow evil spirits when Jesus Christ returns with the church at His Second Advent, which brings to an end the times of the Gentiles and the seventieth week of Daniel. The Son of God had to become a human being in order to restore the human race to rulership over the earth (cf. Heb. 2:5-13). The Father placed His incarnate Son Jesus Christ as ruler over the earth as a result of His Son voluntarily suffering a spiritual and physical death on the cross as a substitute for the entire human race (Phil. 2:6-11; Heb. 2:9-11). When He ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father, He was given the title deed to the earth and rulership over it (Rev. 5:1-5). At His Second Advent, He will bodily assume rulership over the earth (Rev. 19:11-20:4). At that time, He will imprison Satan for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3). He will along with the church assume rulership over the earth for a thousand years. Satan was instrumental in the fall of Adam and Eve because he tempted Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience to God’s prohibition to not do so. Consequently, Adam did so as well as a result of his wife’s prompting. Thus, the entire human race was not only enslaved to sin but also to Satan and his kingdom. However, the incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ destroyed 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 19 his works according to 1 John 3:8 as a result of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father. Those sinners who trust in Him as their Savior are delivered from not only eternal condemnation, i.e., the wrath of God but also delivered from enslavement to sin and Satan and his cosmic system. At His Second Advent, the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride the church will dispossess Satan and his angels from the rulership of the earth and will restore the human race to the rulership over the earth. God’s plan from the beginning was that Adam and Eve would rule over the works of His hands according to Genesis 1:26-27. However, they lost this rulership because of their disobedience. However, Jesus Christ, and His bride, the church will restore the human race to its rightful place as rulers of the earth (Heb. 2:5-9). The sentence of Satan and his angels to suffer eternal condemnation in the lake of fire will be executed at the end of human history according to Revelation 20:10-15. Therefore, no wonder Paul was imprisoned unjustly because the god of this world, Satan was unhappy about this mystery doctrine of the church age, which asserts that Jewish and Gentile church age believers in resurrection bodies will dispossess him and his fellow evil spirits as rulers of planet earth. The proclamation of the gospel and in particular this mystery doctrine that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and their union and identification with Him meant the end of Satan’s kingdom on earth. The second person plural aorist active indicative conjugation of the verb akouō (ἀκούω) pertains to learning or becoming aware of something, conceived of as hearing about it. The referent of the second person plural form of this verb is the recipients of this letter, who were Gentile Christian community living throughout the Roman province of Asia. The word not only speaks of them as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions. Therefore, in context, this verb speaks of these Gentile church age believers who lived in the various cities and towns in the Roman province of Asia receiving information about Paul’s stewardship to communicate the mystery doctrine of the church age by hearing him and other teachers and prophets communicating it to them. The enclitic particle ge (γέ), “in fact” emphasizes that each one of the recipients of this letter without exception, who were Gentile church age believers, heard about the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to Paul for the benefit of each and every one of them. In other words, in relation to the first class conditional statement, it is an emphatic confirmation that they have heard about his stewardship to the gospel and in particular the mystery doctrine of the church age that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 20 justification and their resultant union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. Now, as we noted in our study of Ephesians 1:10, the noun oikonomia is derived from oikos, “house” and the verb nemo, “to administrate,” thus the word literally means “to administrate a household.” From the time of Xenophon and Plato, the word represented household administration, the management of a household or of household affairs. It was generally used for the administration of the state and was eventually used to designate every type of activity that accrued from the position. 6 So it takes on the meanings “direction, provision” or “administration.” It appears only twice in the Septuagint where it retains its original meaning of “office, administration” (Isaiah 22:19, 21). The noun oikonomia occurs 9 times in the Greek New Testament (Luke 16:2, 3, 4; 1 Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 1:10; 3:2, 9; Colossians 1:25; 1 Timothy 1:4). In Ephesians 3:9, oikonomia means “dispensation” and refers to the church age. However, in the remaining passages, it refers to a stewardship entrusted to someone. In 1 Timothy 1:4, the noun oikonomia means “administration of a household” and refers to these unidentified individuals in Ephesus fulfilling their stewardship as pastor-teachers. Specifically, it refers to “the administration” of God’s household, which is the church. In 1 Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 3:2, and Colossians 1:25, the word is a reference to the stewardship that God gave to Paul as an apostle. In Ephesians 1:10, the noun oikonomia (οἰκονομία) means “dispensation” since the word pertains to “a distinguishable economy in the outworking of God’s purpose.” 7 Specifically, it refers to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ when the Father’s kingdom will be visibly present on planet earth under the rulership of Jesus Christ and His bride. They will also be accompanied by Old Testament saints, tribulational martyrs in their resurrection bodies as well as the elect angels. However, here in Ephesians 3:2, the noun oikonomia (οἰκονομία) means “stewardship” because it pertains in this context to Paul’s responsibility as an apostle to communicate the gospel. Also, it speaks of his responsibility to communicate God’s secret plan that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. In other words, it speaks of his responsibility to communicate this mystery doctrine of the church age. The idea of this word is two-fold: (1) It speaks of the office or spiritual gift of apostle. (2) It speaks of the activity of an apostle. Thus, the word not only speaks of Paul’s apostleship but also the responsibility he was given to communicate the Father’s secret plan to make Jewish and Gentile church age believers fellow heirs, 6 The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Colin Brown, General Editor, volume 2, page 253; Regency, Reference Library, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967, 1969, 1971 7 Dispensationalism Today, page 29 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 21 fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and their resultant union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. Acts 26:15-18 records Paul recounting to King Agrippa the Lord bestowing upon him this stewardship to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles. Acts 26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance as a servant and witness to the things you have seen and to the things in which I will appear to you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (NET) The apostle Paul employs the noun charis (χάρις), “grace” for the seventh time in this epistle (cf. 1:2, 6, 7; 2:5, 7, 8) and in each instance, the word refers to God the Father’s grace policy towards unregenerate sinners, which manifests His attribute of love. Grace is also a major theme in this epistle since the noun charis (χάρις), “grace” appears 12 times in this epistle (Eph. 1:2, 6, 7; 2:5:, 7, 8; 3:2, 7, 8; 4:7, 29; 6:24). It is all that God the Father is free to do in imparting unmerited blessings to those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior based upon the merits of Christ and His death on the cross. It is God treating the sinner in a manner that they don’t deserve and excludes any human works in order to acquire eternal salvation or blessing from God. Grace means that God saved us and blessed us despite ourselves and not according to anything that we do but rather saved us and blessed us because of the merits of Christ and His work on the Cross. It excludes any human merit in salvation and blessing (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) and gives the Creator all the credit and the creature none. By means of faith, we accept the grace of God, which is a nonmeritorious system of perception, which is in total accord with the grace of God. Grace and faith are totally compatible with each other and inseparable (1 Tim. 1:14) and complement one another (Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:8). Grace, faith, and salvation are all the gift of God and totally exclude all human works and ability (Eph. 2:8-9). However, here in Ephesians 3:2, the noun charis (χάρις), “grace” is employed by the apostle Paul to describe the stewardship the Lord Jesus Christ bestowed upon him at his justification as being an “unmerited blessing.” Thus, it is not only describe his spiritual gift of apostleship as an unmerited blessing but also the responsibility and task the Lord called or commissioned him to perform on behalf of the Gentiles. This interpretation is supported by the contents of Ephesians 3:8. Ephesians 3: 8 To me—less than the least of all the saints—this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ (NET) 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 22 Now, in Ephesians 3:2, the referent of the articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός), “the one and only God” is God the Father. The articular construction of the noun theos (θεός) expresses the idea that there were many gods in the world, but the God Jewish and Gentile Christians worshipped was the one and only true God in contrast to unregenerate humanity in the first century A.D. which worshipped the pantheon of Graeco-Roman gods. The noun charis (χάρις), “grace” functions as a genitive of apposition or epexegetical genitive, which indicates that the noun charis (χάρις), “grace” is identifying or describing the noun oikonomia (οἰκονομία), “the stewardship” as God’s grace. Specifically, it identifies this stewardship as an unmerited blessing given to Paul, which originates from God the Father. In other words, Paul did not earn or deserve this stewardship but rather it was a gift from God the Father. The noun theos (θεός) functions as a genitive of source, which expresses the idea that this grace or unmerited blessing bestowed upon Paul “originates from” God the Father. When Paul describes himself in Ephesians 3:8 as “less than the least of all the saints,” he is alluding to the fact that his stewardship was manifestation of God’s grace in the sense that the task the Lord gave him to communicate the gospel to the Gentile was an unmerited blessing. In other words, he certainly did not earn or deserve it. As we noted in our exegesis of Ephesians 3:2, the verb didōmi (δίδωμι) means “to bestow as a gift” since the word pertains in this context of giving someone something as an expression of generosity. The referent of the feminine singular form of this verb is the noun oikonomia (οἰκονομία), “the stewardship,” which we noted is modified by the genitive adjunct tēs charitos tou theou (τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ), “God’s grace.” The dative first person singular form of the possessive personal pronoun egō (ἐγώ), “to me” and refers of course to the apostle Paul. The word functions as a dative indirect object, which indicates that the apostle Paul received this stewardship, which was an unmerited blessing originating from God the Father. The accusative second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ) means “each and every one of you as a corporate unit” or “all of you as a corporate unit without exception” because it not only refers to the recipients of this letter but is also used of them in a distributive sense emphasizing on exceptions. The referent of this word we noted is the Gentile Christian community living throughout the Roman province of Asia. This word is the object of the preposition eis (εἰς), which functions as a marker of benefaction or advantage expressing the idea that the stewardship of God’s grace, which was given to Paul, was “for the benefit of” each and every Gentile church age believer without exception. The aorist tense of this verb didōmi (δίδωμι) is a constative aorist, which describes in summary fashion Paul receiving as a gift the stewardship of 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 23 communicating the Father’s secret plan to make Jewish and Gentile church age believers fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of the faith in Christ Jesus at justification and their resultant union and identification with Him. If you recall, the noun oikonomia (οἰκονομία), “the stewardship” not only speaks of Paul’s apostleship but also the responsibility he was given to communicate the Father’s secret plan to make Jewish and Gentile church age believers fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and their resultant union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. Therefore, the aorist tense is not only describing the moment Paul received this stewardship at justification but also describes Paul receiving the revelation of the content of this mystery after justification. The passive voice of this verb means that the subject receives the action of the verb from either an expressed or unexpressed agency. Here the agency is expressed in Ephesians 3:5, which asserts that this mystery or God the Father’s secret plan to make Jewish and Gentile believers fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus during the church age was revealed to the apostles and prophets en pneumati (ἐν πνεύματι), “by the Spirit.” Therefore, the passive of this verb didōmi (δίδωμι) indicates that the stewardship of God’s grace receives the action of being given to Paul when he received the gift of apostleship through the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit at justification and after justification when he received the revelation of the content of this mystery from the Holy Spirit. The participle conjugation of this verb is in the genitive case and functions as a genitive of apposition or epexegetical genitive, which indicates that the participle conjugation of this verb didōmi (δίδωμι) is identifying or describing the noun oikonomia (οἰκονομία), “the stewardship” as being given to Paul at justification for the benefit of the Gentile Christian community and after justification when he received the revelation of the content of this mystery. In Colossians 1:25, the apostle Paul also mentions this same stewardship from God. Colossians 1:24 Now, I am presently rejoicing because of my sufferings on behalf of each and every one of you. In fact, I am supplementing that which remains of the one and only Christ’s intense sufferings by means of my physical body on behalf of His body which is, as an eternal spiritual truth, the church. 25 Of which I myself became a servant because of the stewardship which is from God (the Father) which was given to me on behalf of each and every one of you in order to fulfill the task of communicating the message originating from God (the Father). 26 Specifically, the mystery which has been concealed from past 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 24 ages, in other words from past generations but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 For the benefit of whom, God (the Father) wanted to make known what is of infinite value, namely the glorious revelation of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is, as an eternal spiritual truth Christ in each and every one of you, who is the confident expectation of glory, 28 whom we make it our habit of proclaiming everywhere. Specifically, by making it our habit of instructing each and every person, yes by making it our habit of providing authoritative instruction for each and every person by means of a wisdom which is absolute. The purpose of which is to present each and every person as mature in the presence of the Christ. 29 For which purpose, I in fact continue making it my habit of working hard. Specifically, by making it my habit of striving for my own benefit in the face of opposition because of His activity which is regularly made effective through me by means of power. (Author’s translation) Ephesians 3:3 is composed of the following: (1) hoti (ὅτι) epexegetical clause hoti kata apokalypsin egnōristhē moi to mystērion (ὅτι κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον), “Namely that, the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself as revelation” (Author’s translation) (2) comparative clause proegrapsa en oligō (προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ), “as I wrote beforehand in a concise manner.” (Author’s translation) The hoti (ὅτι) epexegetical clause explains the noun oikonomia (οἰκονομία), “the stewardship” and specifically, it explains the nature of this stewardship, namely it is being a steward of the mystery or the divine secret that was made known to Paul by revelation from the Holy Spirit. As was the case in Ephesians 1:17, the noun apokalypsis (ἀποκάλυψις) here in Ephesians 3:3 means “revelation” since the word in both instances pertains to communication of knowledge which was previously hidden to man by a divine or supernatural agency. However, in Ephesians 1:17, it refers to the revelation the Holy Spirit provided Paul and his fellow apostles regarding the Father’s plan for the church age believer, which now appears in the Greek New Testament. But here in Ephesians 3:3, it refers to the revelation the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:5) provided Paul in relation to his stewardship, which he describes in Ephesians 3:2 as unique to the grace, which originates form the one and only God which is a reference to the Father. As we noted in our study of Ephesians 3:2, the protasis is introduced in Ephesians 3:2 but explained in detail in Ephesians 3:3-12. In Ephesians 3:3-5, the apostle Paul defines this stewardship of God’s grace as the revelation of the mystery and asserts that he was given insight into this mystery of Christ, which was not known to Old Testament saints but has now been revealed to the apostles and New Testament prophets by the Spirit. In Ephesians 3:6, he defines this mystery of Christ as Gentile church age believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 25 and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. Then, in Ephesians 3:7-8, Paul asserts that he became a servant of the gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to him by the exercise of God’s power to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to enlighten everyone about God’s plan concealed from the saints in living in past dispensations. Thus, the implication is that Paul enlightened the recipients of this letter regarding God’s secret plan to have Jewish and Gentile believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him with the Jewish church age believers as a result of their obedience to the gospel. In Ephesians 3:10, Paul asserts that the purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaced wisdom of God would be disclosed during the church age to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms, which is a reference to Satan and his fellow evil spirits. Then, in Ephesians 3:11, he asserts that this was according to the eternal purpose that the Father accomplished by means of the Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father. Therefore, in Ephesians 3:3, the noun apokalypsis (ἀποκάλυψις), which we noted means “revelation” refers to Paul’s stewardship, which we also noted, he defines as the mystery of Christ, which was communicated through the gospel by the apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ by the agency of the Holy Spirit. The content of this revelation is that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. It was a mystery in the sense that it was a secret plan not known to Old Testaments but now communicated during the church age through the apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ. The purpose of this enlightenment we also noted was to disclose to Satan and his kingdom in the heavenly realms through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God. There has been much conjecture as to when Paul received this revelation. It could refer to Paul’s Damascus road experience at his conversion (Acts. 9:3-8; 22:6-11; 26:12-18),or the teaching of Ananias in Damascus (Acts 9:10-19), or the vision in Jerusalem Paul received (Acts 22:17) or lastly, his training by God in Arabia (Gal.1:12,17-18). However, none of these accounts reveals or suggests that Paul received this revelation that Jewish and Gentile Christians are now fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. Now, in Ephesians 3:3, the prepositional phrase kata apokalypsin (κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν), “as revelation” not only modifies to the hoti epexegetical clause egnōristhē moi to mystērion (ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον), “the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself” but also corresponds to it. Specifically, the former corresponds to the latter in that both speak of Paul receiving revelation from the Holy 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 26 Spirit. In other words, they are equivalent to each other in that they both refer to the same thing. Namely, this divine secret or mystery was made known to him by the Spirit is “equivalent” to receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit. As was the case in Ephesians 1:9, the noun mustērion (μυστήριον) here in Ephesians 3:3, the word means “mystery, divine secret” since the word pertains to the content of that which has not been known before but which has been revealed to an in-group or restricted constituency.8 It pertains to a secret whose concerned party is a deity alone and those to whom he chooses to share the information; especially concerning the method and history of God’s redemption or other supernatural information.9 In Ephesians 1:9 and 3:3, the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “mystery” speaks of a truth which was not known to Old Testament saints but has now been revealed by the Father through the Spirit during the church age to the apostles who communicated it to the church. In Ephesians 1:9, this word refers to the divine secret or mystery of the Father’s will for church age believers. Ephesians 1:3 The God, namely the Father of the Lord ruling over us, who is Jesus Christ, is worthy of praise. Namely, because He is the one who has blessed each and every one of us by means of each and every kind of Spirit appropriated blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. 4 For He chose each and every one of us for His own purpose because of Him alone before creation in order that each and every one of us would be holy as well as uncensurable in His judgment. 5 He did this by predestinating each and every one of us for the purpose of adoption as sons because of His love through Jesus Christ for Himself according to the pleasure of His will. 6 This was for the purpose of praising His glorious grace, which He freely bestowed on each and every one of us because of the one who is divinely loved. 7 Because of whom, each one of us are experiencing that which is the redemption through His blood, namely the forgiveness of our transgressions according to His infinite grace. 8 This He provided in abundance for the benefit of each and every one of us because of the exercise of a wisdom, which is absolute and divine in nature resulting in the manifestation of an insight, which is absolute and divine in nature. 9 He did this by revealing the mystery of His will for the benefit of each and every one of us according to His pleasure, which He planned beforehand because of our faith in and union and identification with Himself. (Author’s translation) In Ephesians 1:9, the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “mystery” speaks of a truth which was not known to Old Testament saints but has now been revealed by the Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 344). United Bible Societies 8 9 Logos Bible Software Bible Sense Lexicon 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 27 Father through the Spirit during the church age to the apostles who communicated it to the church. This mystery is identified by the word’s genitive adjunct which is tou thelēmatos autou (τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ), “of His will.” This mystery of the Father’s will is identified in Ephesians 1:3-4 as the Father electing church age believers by predestinating them for the purpose of adoption as sons for His purpose because of His love through Jesus Christ. Thus, it was according to His will to elect church age believers by predestinating them for the purpose of adoption as sons for His purpose alone because of His love through Jesus Christ. This mystery is developed further in Ephesians 3:5-6 in that it asserts that the Gentile believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus with Jewish Christians. Both groups compose those who have been elected by the Father which was accomplished by predestinating them for the purpose of adoption as sons for Himself alone because of His love through their faith in and union and identification with Jesus Christ. Therefore, the development of this mystery in Ephesians 3:5-6 is that these verses are identifying that not only Jewish Christians are elected and predestinated and in union with Christ and identified with Him but also Gentile Christians. This development was necessary since the promise of the Holy Spirit was originally given to His apostles and disciples who were all Jewish since this promise was given to the Jewish people under the New Covenant (cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:27) and the recipients of the Ephesian epistle were Gentile Christians. So therefore, in Ephesians 3:3, the referent the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “mystery” is that Gentile and Jewish church age believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. Ephesians 3:3 expands or explains in greater detail or provides more information about the Father’s will for the church age believer in Ephesians 1:9. Namely, that it also involves Gentile and Jewish church age believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. Therefore, in each instance, the word has the same referent because the Father’s will for the church age believer, which was not known to the Old Testament prophets, is that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. This mystery about Jewish and Gentile church age believers is not only alluded to in Ephesians 1:3-14 and Ephesians 3:2-13 but is also alluded to in Ephesians 2:1122 because the latter develops the idea of these Gentile Christians being elected by being predestinated in eternity past to adoption as son of the Father, which is taught 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 28 in Ephesians 1:3-14. Ephesians 2:11-22 teaches that Gentile church age believers are united with Jewish Gentile believers because of their faith in Jesus Christ at justification and their union and identification with Him accomplished through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification. Thus, the election and predestination of church age believers to adoption as sons of the Father taught by Paul in Ephesians1:3-14 also involves Jewish and Gentile church age believers being united together to form the new humanity who along with Jesus Christ dispossess Satan and his fellow evil spirits as rulers over God’s creation in order to rule over the works of God’s hands during Jesus Christ’s millennial reign. Some commentators argue that this comparative clause alludes to Colossians 1:25-27. However, this very unlikely since Tychicus not only delivered Ephesians to the Christian community in the Roman province of Asia but also Colossians (Col.4:7). He also delivered what we know as “Philemon” to Philemon since it can be inferred that Philemon lived in Colossae because the Onesimus mentioned in Philemon 10 is Philemon’s slave is the same Onesimus who appears in Colossians 4;9. Now, therefore, in Ephesians 3:3, the statement kata apokalypsin egnōristhē moi to mystērion (κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον), “Namely that, the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself as revelation” means that the divine secret or mystery that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him was made known for the benefit of Paul as revelation. As we noted in our exegesis of Ephesians 3:3, the aorist tense of this verb gnōrizō (γνωρίζω) is a constative aorist, which is describing in summary fashion the action of Paul receiving this divine secret or mystery that Gentile and Jewish church age believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him being made known for the benefit of Paul. There is nothing in Scripture which would indicate that this is a consummative aorist which is used to stress the cessation of an act, which would thus indicate that Paul received this revelation at the moment of justification or at some other point of time after his conversion. The Scriptures also do not indicate if he received this revelation in stages over a period of time. Therefore, it is better to take the aorist tense of this verb as a constative aorist which takes no interest in the internal workings of the action of the verb. It simply describes in summary fashion without focusing on the beginning or end of the action. The passive voice of the verb gnōrizō (γνωρίζω) indicates that this mystery or divine secret about Jewish and Gentile church age believers receives the action of being made known to Paul by revelation from the Holy Spirit. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 29 The comparative clause proegrapsa en oligō (προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ), “as I wrote beforehand in a concise manner” which follows this hoti epexegetical clause refers to Paul writing about this mystery concerning Jewish and Gentile church age believers in Ephesians 1:3-14 and 2:11-22. The adverb kathōs (καθώς) functions as a marker of comparison which means that it is marking a comparison between the hoti (ὅτι) epexegetical clause hoti kata apokalypsin egnōristhē moi to mystērion (ὅτι κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον), “Namely that, the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself as revelation” (Author’s translation) and the comparative clause proegrapsa en oligō (προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ), “as I wrote beforehand in a concise manner” (Author’s translation), which follows it. The latter refers to the contents of Ephesians 1:9, which we noted speaks of mystery of the Father’s will for church age believers, which is explained in greater detail in Ephesians 3:2-13. Therefore, this adverb kathōs (καθώς) is marking a comparison between the contents of Ephesians 3:2-13 with the contents of Ephesians 1:3-14 and 2:11-22. In this comparative clause, the verb prographō (προγράφω) means “to write beforehand or previously, to write in advance or in anticipation of” and is modified by the prepositional phrase en oligō (προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ), which identifies Paul as writing about this divine secret or mystery in a brief manner in Ephesians 1:9. The aorist tense of the verb prographō (προγράφω) is used of Paul writing in Ephesians 1:3-14 and 2:11-22 about this mystery not known to Old Testament prophets that Jewish and Gentile church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. This author not only believes that this comparative clause in Ephesians 3:3 refers to Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 1:3-10 but also to his teaching in Ephesians 2:11-22. This is indicated by the fact that these verses develop the idea of these Gentile Christians being elected by being predestinated in eternity past to adoption as son of the Father, which is taught in Ephesians 1:3-14. Ephesians 2:11-22 teaches that Gentile church age believers are united with Jewish Gentile believers because of their faith in Jesus Christ at justification and their union and identification with Him accomplished through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification. Thus, the election and predestinated of church age believers to adoption as sons of the Father taught by Paul in Ephesians1:3-14 also involves Jewish and Gentile church age believers being united together to form the new humanity led by Jesus Christ which will dispossess Satan and his fellow evil spirits in order to rule over the works of God’s hands during Jesus Christ’s millennial reign. Thus, the comparative clause proegrapsa en oligō (προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ) is emphasizing that Paul wrote about this mystery or divine secret about Jewish and 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 30 Gentile church age believers briefly in Ephesians 1:3-14 and 2:11-22 before writing about it in detail in Ephesians 3:2-13. Ephesians 3:4 is composed of the participial clause dynasthe anaginōskontes noēsai tēn synesin mou (δύνασθε ἀναγινώσκοντες νοῆσαι τὴν σύνεσίν μου), “that is, by each one of you making it your habit of hearing read publicly, all of you will for your own benefit become able to comprehend my insight” and is modified by two prepositional phrases. The first is pros ho (πρὸς ὃ), “Concerning which” and the second is en tō mystēriō tou Christou (ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ), “into this incomparable mystery, which is our unique union and identification with Christ.” These two prepositional phrases serve as bookends to this participial clause with the first placed in the emphatic position in the clause and the second completing the clause. In the participial clause, we noted in our exegesis that the nominative masculine plural present active participle conjugation of the verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) pertains to having a particular piece of literature read publicly or aloud to people and thus involves verbalization. The referent of the masculine plural form of this verb is the Gentile Christian community living in the various cities and towns throughout the Roman province of Asia. This is indicated by the fact that Paul identifies the recipients of this epistle in Ephesians 2:11 as Gentile Christians and this epistle is a circular letter. Therefore, this verb in Ephesians 3:4 refers to the contents of Ephesians being read publicly to each member of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia who were the recipients of this epistle by their lectors and pastorteachers. In other words, it describes these Gentile Christians hearing read publicly the contents of this epistle, which explains in detail this mystery doctrine of the church age. As we noted in our exegesis, this word anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) functions as a nominative in simple apposition which means that it describes the recipients of this epistle hearing the contents of this epistle read to them publicly by their lectors and pastors in the public worship service and which contents explains in detail this mystery doctrine for the church age. The present tense of this verb is a customary present, which is used to describe these Gentile Christians as “making it their habit of” hearing read publicly in the public worship service this mystery doctrine. This verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) also functions as a participle of means which indicates the means by which the action of a finite verb is accomplished. This type of participle defines the action of its controlling verb and makes more explicit what the author intended to convey with the verb. This type of participle usually follows the main verb. In this context, the finite verb is the second person plural present middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι), “you will be able” 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 31 whose thought is completed by the aorist active infinitive conjugation of the verb noeō (νοέω), “to understand.” Also, in this context, the verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) follows the main verb, which we noted is the verb dunamai (δύναμαι), “you will be able.” Therefore, the participle conjugation of the verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) is describing the means by which the recipients of this letter will be able to comprehend Paul’s insight into this mystery of Christ. Namely, by making it their habit of hearing read publicly the contents of this letter by their lectors and pastors in the public worship service, which explains in detail this mystery doctrine for the church age. Some interpret the participle conjugation of this verb anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) as a temporal participle, which in relation to its controlling verb, answers the question, “when?” Therefore, this type of participle would be expressing the idea of the recipients of this letter will be able to comprehend Paul’s insight into this mystery of Christ “while” hearing read publicly the contents of this letter read in the public worship service. Though a participle might have a temporal force, one must determine if a more specific semantic value is intended by the writer before interpreting the participle as being temporal. This is the case here where anaginōskō (ἀναγινώσκω) has a more specific semantic value, namely means. Clinton Arnold writes “When Paul speaks of ‘reading’ (ἀναγινώσκοντες), it is easy for contemporary Christians to think of their own experience of opening up a copy of the Bible and having a quiet time. Yet one must keep in mind that because of the expense of hiring a scribe and purchasing papyri, there were likely few copies of Paul’s letters (or any other Scriptures) in the churches. In addition to that, there was a significant percentage of people in the Roman world who were illiterate. Paul is therefore referring to the public reading of the Scripture when the various communities of believers assembled on the Lord’s day or for special occasions. The public reading of Scripture as well as apostolic documents undoubtedly played an important role in the lives of the early Christian churches.”10 The second person plural aorist middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι) pertains to possessing the capacity to understand a particular subject. We noted that the referent of the second person plural of this verb is of course the recipients of this epistle who were members of the Gentile Christian community living in the various cities and towns in the Roman province of Asia. The middle voice of this verb is an indirect middle, which means that the subject acts for himself or herself. Therefore, this would express the idea that it would be “for the benefit of” the recipients of this epistle to be able to comprehend Paul’s insight into the mystery of Christ. 10 Arnold, C. E. (2010). Ephesians (p. 188). Zondervan. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 32 The aorist active infinitive conjugation of the verb noeō (νοέω), “to understand” pertains to understanding, or comprehending on the basis of careful thought and consideration and speaks of grasping the meaning of a particular subject intellectually. It functions as a complementary infinitive which means that it is completing the thought of the second person plural present middle indicative conjugation of the verb dunamai (δύναμαι) because it identifies for the reader what they will be able to do by reading the contents of this epistle. The aorist tense of this verb noeō (νοέω) is an ingressive aorist, which emphasizes the entrance into a particular state or condition. Therefore, this indicates that the recipients of this epistle will be able to “enter into the state of” comprehending Paul’s insight into the mystery of Christ by making it their habit of hearing the contents of this epistle read to them publicly by their lectors and pastors. The noun sunesis (σύνεσις), “insight” pertains to possessing the ability to understand the meaning and importance of something. As was the case in Colossians 1:9, 2:2 and 2 Timothy 2:7, the noun sunesis (σύνεσις) here in Ephesians 3:4 pertains to the result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively. It pertains to the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure, skill in discerning, and the power to see what is not evident to the average mind. The nominative first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) means “my” and its referent is of course Paul. The articular construction of the noun sunesis (σύνεσις) is employed with this personal pronoun in order to denote possession indicating that this insight or discernment is the possession of the apostle Paul. Now, in the first prepositional phrase pros ho (πρὸς ὃ), “concerning which,” we noted in our exegesis that the referent of the accusative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) is the articular nominative neuter singular form of the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “the mystery,” which appears in Ephesians 3:3. This mystery refers to revelation Paul received from the Holy Spirit and was not known to the Old Testament prophets of Israel. The content of this revelation is that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. As we noted in our study of Ephesians 3:3, this verse expands or explains in greater detail or provides more information about the Father’s will for the church age believer in Ephesians 1:9. Namely, that it also involves Gentile and Jewish church age believers being fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. Therefore, in each instance, the word has the same referent because the Father’s will 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 33 for the church age believer, which was not known to the Old Testament prophets, is that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. We also noted in our exegesis that the accusative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) is the object is the object of the preposition pros (πρός), which marks this mystery doctrine of the church age as being the connection between what he wrote about it in the first two chapters and what he is going to write about in Ephesians 3:5-13. The second prepositional in Ephesians 3:4, which completes this verse contains the noun mustērion (μυστήριον) means “mystery, secret, divine secret” since it pertains to revelation that was not known to the Old Testament prophets of Israel but has been given to the apostles and New Testament prophets by the Holy Spirit. As was the case in Ephesians 3:3, here in Ephesians 3:4 the referent of this word is the revelation that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. The articular construction of this word is monadic, which means that this mystery is “unique” or “one of a kind” because the content of this mystery is that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him as a result of their obedience to the gospel. Thus, this mystery is unique because never before in history were Gentile believers on equal footing with Jewish believers. The noun mustērion (μυστήριον) is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), which marks the content of what Paul possessed insight into, namely, this unique mystery or secret, which is union and identification with Christ, which is unique to those Jewish and Gentile sinners who have been declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. The proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” contains the figure of metonymy which means that the one and only Christ is put for the church age believer’s union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification. This interpretation is indicated by the contents of Ephesians 3:5-13, which reveal the content of this mystery, namely that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. Gentile Christians were entered into a relationship with God the Father and with His covenant people Israel by being declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ. Simultaneously, through the baptism of the Spirit, they were 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 34 placed in union with Jesus Christ and identified with Him in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand. Through the baptism of the Spirit, they were united with Jewish Christians. Consequently, they benefit from the four unconditional covenants that God established with His covenant people, namely the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New covenants. They received the gift of the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins because of benefiting from the New covenant, which promises these two benefits. The articular construction of the proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” is monadic emphasizing that Jewish and Gentile church age believer’s union and identification with Jesus Christ is unique in history. This is indicated by the fact that unlike the church age, Gentile believers in previous dispensations have never been on equal footing with Jewish believers in the sense that Gentiles have never given the privilege of entering into a covenant relationship with God as Jewish believers. At the moment of justification, Gentile church age believers have been entered into a covenant relationship with God because through the baptism of the Spirit, not only have they been united with Christ and identified with Him but they have also been united with Jewish church age believers as well (cf. Rom. 11:16-21; Eph. 2:11-22). The articular construction of the proper name Christos (Χριστός) functions as a genitive of production, which takes place when the genitive substantive “produces” the noun to which it stands related, which in our context is the noun mustērion (μυστήριον), “mystery.” Therefore, this construction expresses the idea that this mystery or secret doctrine, which asserts that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise is “produced by” their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. Notice, in Ephesians 3:4 that Paul speaks of this mystery as being read publicly to the recipients of this epistle who we noted were Gentile Christians living in the various cities and towns in the Roman province of Asia. The public reading of Scripture is commanded by Paul since he instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13 to be occupied with the public reading of Scripture. 1 Timothy 4:13 Until I do arrive, continue making it your habit of being occupied with the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (Author’s translation) “The public reading of Scripture” is the noun anagnosis (ἀνάγνωσις), which refers to “reading aloud” or “the public reading” of the Old Testament and Paul’s epistles in the local assemblies that met in various homes or school rooms or other public settings in Ephesus. It refers to the public reading of the Old Testament and Paul’s epistles in the corporate worship setting. When Paul wrote, First Timothy, that which would be publicly read aloud in Ephesus would be the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew bible 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 35 since the Ephesian church was Gentile and not Jewish. They would also have read Paul’s epistles. This is indicated by the fact that in Colossians 4:16, Paul commanded that his letters to the Colossians be read to the Laodiceans. Also, Paul commanded the Thessalonians to have First Thessalonians read to every Christian (1 Thessalonians 5:27). Therefore, he considered his epistles to be essential for the life of the churches he planted and ministered throughout the Roman Empire. The gospel of John would not have been read in Paul’s churches since it was not composed until the last decade of the first century. Mark was not composed until the late fifties or sometime during the sixties. Thus, it probably was not known and read in the Pauline churches. Some scholars such as D.A. Carson and G.J. Wenham argue for Matthew to be written in the eighties and some like Walvoord and Zuck believe that it was written in the fifties. Thus, it could have possibly been read by the Pauline church according to the latter but would not have been according to the former. Luke was written in the sixties and since he was a companion of Paul, would have been read in the Pauline churches and maybe by the church in Ephesus by 63-65 A.D when First Timothy was written. However, with this being said, even if the gospels were not written by the time Paul wrote First Timothy in approximately 63-65 A.D., the stories and traditions of Jesus that found their way into the four gospels would have been communicated to the church in the public worship service. The reading of Scripture in the public worship setting would provide the foundation for pastor-teachers communicating to the church their application. Also, these pastors would teach the church from that which was read publicly from this public reading of the Scriptures. This would provide the individual members of the church with an understanding of who they are in Christ. It would in other words define their identity in Christ as individuals but also as a corporate unit. Therefore, the public reading of Scripture and communicating their application to the church and teaching the church from them would not only answer the believer’s question as to who they were but also answer their question as to how they should live in light of this identity in Christ. It would also resolve disputes, especially between Jewish believers and Gentile believers with regards to such things as the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law and circumcision. Now, not only does Paul want Timothy to be occupied with the public reading of Scripture but also the pastors in Ephesus. Those who were faithful, to encourage them to continue and those who were unfaithful to get them back on track. The public reading of Scripture is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:27 in that Paul commanded the Thessalonian Christian community to have the contents of First Thessalonians read to each person in their community. 1 Thessalonians 5:27 I adjure each and every one of you at this particular time by the authority of the one and only Lord to have this letter read to each and every one of your brothers and sisters. (Author’s translation) 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 36 So therefore, here in 1 Thessalonians 5:27, Paul directs the pastor-teachers in the Thessalonian Christian community to publicly read the contents of First Thessalonian. Then, the Thessalonians were to make a copy of this epistle and then send to other Christian communities in their geographical area like Philippi which was close to each other. This is indicated by Paul’s statement in Colossians 4:16. Colossians 4:16 Now, after this epistle has been read in the presence of each one of you, I solemnly charge all of you to have it read in the Laodicean assembly. Likewise, I solemnly charge all of you to have the one from Laodicea read publicly by each one of you. (Author’s translation) After requesting that the Colossians pass along his greetings to the Laodicean Christian community and to a woman named Nympha and the believers who met in her private home, the apostle Paul in Colossians 4:16 provides the Colossians instructions regarding the epistle he is writing directly to them. He solemnly commands them to have this epistle read publicly in the Laodicean public assembly after it was read in the presence of each one of them. He then issues another solemn command in which he orders them to read the letter he wrote directly to the Laodicean Christian community. Thus, we can see that he wanted them to exchange letters. So notice, Paul directs the Colossian Christian community to read Colossians publicly and then they were to make copies and pass it along to the next Christian community in the Roman province of Asia. After being read publicly several times in Colossae and then copied, the letter was sent to the Laodicean churches to be read publicly there. Eventually the letter would be read by each of the churches throughout the rest of the Roman Empire. And of course, this same letter has reached us today impeccably intact in its original language, indestructible! This same process would also take place with First Thessalonians. Notice that in both 1 Thessalonians 5:27 and Colossians 4:16, Paul wants these epistles to be publicly read in both the Thessalonian and Colossian Christian communities, respectively. Now, some expositors argue that the content of the mystery of Christ here in Ephesians 3:4 is the same as in Colossians 1:26, 27, 2:2 and 4:3. However, this is not the case. In fact, the content of the mystery of Christ here in Ephesians 3:4 refers to one of several doctrines which are described by Paul in his writings as a “mystery,” i.e., not known to the Old Testament prophets of Israel but revealed by the Spirit to the apostles and New Testament prophets. Namely, that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the promise because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him. In the New Testament, the church is never actually called a mystery but we know it is a mystery because its major elements are specifically designated as mysteries. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 37 For example, the first major element is the body concept of Jewish and Gentile believers united into one body to form one “new man” or “new humanity.” This is described a mystery in Ephesians 3:1-12. The second major element is that the church is the Bride of Jesus Christ which is taught in Ephesians 5:22-32. The third element is the rapture or resurrection of the church which is described as a mystery as well in First Corinthians 15:51-52. Lastly, the fourth and final major element is the concept of Jesus Christ indwelling each and every church age believer which is taught here in Colossians 1:24-27 and also in 2:10-19; 3:4 and 11. Colossians 1:24 I am presently rejoicing because of my sufferings on behalf of each and every one of you. In fact, I am supplementing that which remains of the one and only Christ’s intense sufferings by means of my physical body on behalf of His body which is, as an eternal spiritual truth, the church. 25 Of which I myself became a servant because of the stewardship which is from God (the Father) which was given to me on behalf of each and every one of you in order to fulfill the task of communicating the message originating from God (the Father). 26 Specifically, the mystery which has been concealed from past ages, in other words from past generations but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 For the benefit of whom, God (the Father) wanted to make known what is of infinite value, namely the glorious revelation of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is, as an eternal spiritual truth Christ in each and every one of you, who is the confident expectation of glory. (Author’s translation) “The mystery” speaks of a truth which was not known to Old Testament saints but has now revealed by the Father through the Spirit during the church age to the apostles who communicated it to the church. This mystery is identified in Colossians 1:27 as Jesus Christ permanently indwelling each and every Gentile church age believer and not just Jewish church age believers exclusively. This “mystery” refers to the manifestation of the divine decree eternity past. It is a secret known only by God but has now been revealed to the church by the Spirit through the apostles. It is a revelation of the divine decree, which is God’s eternal and immutable will, regarding the future existence of events, which will happen in time and regarding the precise order and manner of their occurrence. The decree of God is the chosen and adopted plan of all God’s works. Therefore, “the mystery” is the revelation of the chosen and adopted plan that both Jewish and Gentile church age believers would be permanently indwelt by Jesus Christ. This was the Father’s eternal purpose according to the counsels of His own will, whereby for His own glory He has foreordained whatever comes to pass. Paul then defines what he means by this mystery by asserting that the Father caused this mystery to remain unknown to mankind. Therefore, Paul is defining this “mystery” as something that has been concealed from mankind by God. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 38 The apostle states that this mystery has been concealed by God the Father “from past ages” which refers to the period of time beginning with the creation of the time, matter, space continuum and continuing throughout human history up to the church age. He is saying that human beings who lived during the ages prior to the beginning of the church age were kept from knowing the mystery of Jesus Christ permanently indwelling both Jewish and Gentile church age believers. Paul then defines for the reader specifically what he means by this prepositional phrase “from the past ages.” The Father concealed this mystery of Jesus Christ permanently indwelling both Jewish and Gentile church age believers specifically from past generations of human beings who lived during these past ages. These past generations refer to generations of human beings extending from Adam up to the church age. Human beings who lived during the ages prior to the beginning of the church age were kept from knowing the mystery of Jesus Christ permanently indwelling both Jewish and Gentile church age believers. Then, Paul asserts that this mystery has now been revealed for the benefit of the saints. Specifically, it has now been revealed during the church age which began on the day of Pentecost in June of 33 A.D. and is recorded in Acts 2 and ends with the rapture which is the resurrection of the church. The apostle asserts in Colossians 1:27 that this mystery of Jesus Christ permanently indwelling both Jewish and Gentiles church age believers has been revealed by the Father to the saints. “His saints” describes church age believers as the Father’s possession and from the perspective that they have been set apart through the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of justification in order to order serve God exclusively. They are the Father’s possession because He redeemed them out of the slave market of sin through His death and resurrection. They are His possession because He sanctified them through the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of justification. Paul says that the saints benefitted from having this mystery of Jesus Christ permanently dwelling them revealed to them. The noun musterion, “mystery” appears in Romans 16:25 where it refers to the plan of salvation for both Jew and Gentiles and is now fully revealed during the church age by the Spirit through the apostles to the church and was not fully known to the Old Testament prophets of Israel. The content of this mystery is Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection for both Jew and Gentile. The “hidden” nature of the gospel is not that it was totally unknown since the Old Testament prophets, all the way back to Abraham, were told that salvation would be provided for both Jew and Gentile through the Jewish Messiah. What Paul means by mustērion in Romans 16:25 is that through the Spirit, God the Father has “fully” disclosed the gospel in the person of Jesus Christ and in the proclamation of the gospel by the apostles. So the “mystery” in Romans 16:25 refers to the proclamation of Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and Satan through His death and resurrection and that faith in Him for 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 39 salvation would be proclaimed to both Jew and Gentile. It refers to the manifestation of the divine decree eternity past. It is a secret known only by God but has now been revealed to the church by the Spirit through the apostles. The resurrection of the church is a mystery (1 Cor. 15:51-53). In First Timothy 3:9, the noun mustērion means “mystery” and refers to the plan of salvation for both Jew and Gentiles and is now fully revealed during the church age by the Spirit through the apostles to the church and was not fully known to the Old Testament prophets of Israel. The content of this mystery is Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection for both Jew and Gentile. Therefore, mustērion refers to the proclamation of Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and Satan through His death and resurrection and that faith in Him for salvation would be proclaimed to both Jew and Gentile. It refers to the manifestation of the divine decree eternity past. It is a secret known only by God but has now been revealed to the church by the Spirit through the apostles. As was the case in First Timothy 3:9, the noun mustērion in First Timothy 3:16 means “mystery” and is used in relation to eusebeia, “godliness.” Both are explained in the six line hymn about Jesus Christ. Therefore, together, they refer to the fact that Jesus Christ fully disclosed what godly living is all about. He perfectly revealed God’s character, will and ways by His earthly life, His First Advent. He perfectly exemplified godly living. In other words, He perfectly revealed to the human race how God lives since He is the incarnate Son of God. These two words are not used specifically of the Christian but rather are used to describe Jesus Christ. However, all precedence for the Christian way of life is derived from the Jesus Christ’s First Advent, His earthly life. Therefore, in 1 Timothy 3:16, the noun mustērion speaks of Jesus Christ who is the content of the gospel fully disclosing God’s plan of salvation through His death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His earthly life, His First Advent. It speaks of the fact that He fully revealed what godly living is all about. In other words, He fully disclosed how a human being should live in order to honor God. J. Hampton Keathley III writes “The following is a synopsis of the various aspects of this mystery as it is revealed in the New Testament. (1) The mystery of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 13). The mystery of the interim program of God between Christ’s first and second advents. (2) The mystery of the blindness of Israel and God’s purpose with Israel’s blindness (Rom. 11:1-25). (3) The mystery of the rapture, the departure of the church at the end of this age (1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:13f). (4) The mystery of the church as the body of Christ where Jew and Gentile become one new man in Christ where Jews and Gentiles would be equal heirs in the one body of Christ (Eph. 3:1-11; 2:11f). (5) The mystery of the church as the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25-32). (6) The mystery of the indwelling of Christ as the hope of glory or spiritual deliverance by the power of the indwelling Christ (Col. 1:26-27; 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 40 2:2). (7) The mystery of lawlessness—the continuation and gradual build up of the state of lawlessness that will culminate in the man of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:7-8). Lawlessness is not necessarily confusion and disorder or even the absence of law, but rather the presence of rebellion against God’s established rule and purposes. It speaks of the aim of Satan and his hosts of wickedness to overthrow the divine government and established ordinances of God as He designed them. (8) The mystery of godliness, or the process by which man becomes God-like in character through the person, work, and life of Jesus Christ as He is faithfully proclaimed and defended by the church of Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 3:16). (8) The mystery of the church as the seven stars (Rev. 1:20). (9) The mystery of God, the answer to the age-old question, why has God allowed Satan and evil to continue to exist (Rev. 10:7). Please note that the answer to this is found in Scripture, it was revealed to God’s New Testament prophets. There are two key parts to this answer: (a) To resolve the angelic warfare—to answer and demonstrate that Satan, the accuser and slanderer of God’s character, is wrong in his accusations and that he is worthy of God’s judgment for his sin. (b) To demonstrate God’s patience and love and to provide ample opportunity for men to come to Christ (2 Pet. 3:9). So when the angel of Revelation 10:7 says “the mystery of God is completed” he means that once the seventh trumpet is sounded, this time of demonstrating God’s character and of demonstrating man and Satan for what they are, this time of allowing Satan and rebellion to continue, will be over; God will act swiftly now to establish His rule of righteousness on earth. This period of the patience of God will be over. (11) The mystery of Babylon, the truth regarding the source of the ancient and godless mother-child cult (Rev. 17:5, 7).”11 So in Colossians 1:26-27, Paul is asserting with these faithful Christians in Colossae that the Father assigned him the task of communicating the mystery of Jesus Christ permanently indwelling each and every Jewish and Gentile church age believer and this mystery was not known prior to the church age. The indwelling of Jesus Christ is therefore totally unique to the church age since it has never taken place prior to the church age. It serves as a sign that the Christian is a child of God. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves as assurance for the Christian that he or she is eternally secure. It also serves as encouragement to the Christian when he or she endures underserved suffering. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves also as motivation for the Christian to grow to spiritual maturity. It is the basis for the Christian to give number one priority to his relationship with God rather giving it to people. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves as a reminder to the Christian that they have divine omnipotence available to them to grow to maturity and to endure undeserved suffering. It is also a guarantee that the Christian possesses eternal life 11 Keathley, J. Hampton III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary; page 99; Biblical Studies Press 2002 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 41 and will live with God forever. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves as a guarantee that the Christian will receive a resurrection body. The main purpose for the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is to provide a temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ was the “Shekinah” glory in the Old Testament. The term “Shekinah” is a transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “the one who dwells” or “that which dwells.” This word is not used in Scripture but the root word shakan (to dwell) and the related word mishkan (tabernacle) are used often. Both are associated with the presence of God dwelling with man. The meaning of the word “Shekinah,” “the One Who dwells” emphasizes that God seeks to live with man and not vice versa (cf. Ex. 25:8-9). The term “Shekinah” originally was used in the Jewish Targums (Aramaic translation of Hebrew Bible) and rabbinic literature whenever the Hebrew text would mention the presence of God. So the term “Shekinah” was used to describe the visible manifestation of God’s presence. The Shekinah glory appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-6). This visible manifestation of God’s presence appears in Israel’s wilderness wanderings through a pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night, which was for guidance and assurance of God’s presence with Israel (cf. Ex. 13:21-22). The angel of God is associated with this visible manifestation and is a theophany, a visible and auditory manifestation of the preincarnate Christ (cf. Ex. 14:19-20). The Shekinah glory appeared on Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:16-18). The Shekinah glory appeared in the Tabernacle in Israel (Ex. 33:911, 18-23; 40:34-38). The Shekinah glory would dwell between the cherubim above the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle (2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chron. 13:6; Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Is. 37:16). Ezekiel 8-11 records the departure from Israel of the Shekinah glory. Therefore, we can see that the glory of the Lord had initially dwelt in the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex 40:34 Ex 30:34-38). It departed when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, which God allowed because of Israel’s sin. The glory of God came into the temple of Solomon upon completion and consecration (1 Kings 8:10). Then, it progressively departed the Temple, in preparation for the destruction of the nation of Israel which had turned irrevocably to the worship of abominable idols (First step: Ezekiel 8:3-4; Second: Ezekiel 9:3; Third: Ezekiel 10:18-19; Fourth: Ezekiel 11:22-23). The Temple that was rebuilt after Judah’s seventy years of exile in Babylon did not possess the Shekinah glory of the LORD. Many in Israel wept over this fact that the Shekinah glory had departed (Ezra 3:12). The Shekinah glory appeared in Israel for thirty-three and a half years in the Person of Jesus Christ but departed when they crucified Him. It will return to the millennial temple in the Person of the resurrected, glorified incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ (Haggai 2:9; Isaiah 4:5; 35:1-3). In John 1:14, the apostle John draws the parallel between the Shekinah glory in Old Testament Israel and the incarnation 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 42 of the Son of God. Hebrews 1:3 teaches that Jesus Christ is the “Shekinah” glory. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul alludes to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Shekinah glory that was with Exodus generation of Israel. Paul calls the Lord Jesus Christ, “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:7-8). This same Shekinah glory indwells the body of a believer in the church age according to Colossians 1:26-27). The body of the church age believer is now a temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16). The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit and Christ provides a base of operations for the use of divine omnipotence. The Christian executes the Father’s plan for the church age believer by appropriating by faith the divine omnipotence made available through the indwelling of Christ and the Spirit. The indwelling of Jesus Christ is a reminder and a guarantee that the Christian is eternally united to the Trinity and members of the royal family of God, a child of God. The indwelling of Jesus Christ signifies the close intimate union that the Christian has with Jesus Christ and in addition that He is working in the Christian’s life. The first time that the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples that they would be indwelt by Him was in His Upper Room Discourse recorded in John 14:20 and 17:23 and 26. Paul mentions the indwelling of Christ in 2 Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 2:20 and now in Colossians 1:26-27. The indwelling of Jesus Christ is presented from three perspectives: (1) Positional (2) Experiential (3) Ultimate. First of all, the Christian is indwelt by Christ in a “positional” sense meaning that it is an eternal spiritual truth and objective fact of bible doctrine that the Christian is indwelt by Christ. Secondly, the indwelling of Christ is to be “experiential” in the sense that God desires that the Christian “experience” the indwelling of Christ and this is accomplished by faith in the Word of God. Lastly, the indwelling of Christ is viewed in an “ultimate” sense in that Christ will indwell the Christian’s resurrection body forever throughout eternity. In Colossians 1:27, Paul speaks of the indwelling of Christ in a “positional” and “ultimate” sense. He also speaks of Christ indwelling him in an “experiential” sense in Galatians 2:20. In Colossians 1:27, the apostle Paul continues his discussion from Colossians 1:26 regarding “the mystery.” First of all, he asserts that for the benefit of the saints, God the Father desired to make known to them what is of infinite value, which he defines as the glorious revelation of this mystery among the Gentiles. Then, he identifies for the Colossians the content of this glorious revelation of this mystery which is Christ indwelling each and every Gentile church age believer and not just Jewish church age believers like himself. Thus, Paul is teaching that this mystery which was not known to Old Testament saints prior to the church age is Jesus Christ indwelling not only Jewish church age believers like himself but also Gentile church age believers. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 43 This glorious revelation was made known to the church by the Holy Spirit through the apostles of Jesus Christ. They communicated it publicly to the church by the power of the Holy Spirit and which glorious revelation the Father concealed from both men and angels prior to the church age. The apostles communicated this glorious revelation to the church in the public worship service. The apostle Paul describes this glorious revelation of this mystery of Jesus Christ indwelling both Jewish and Gentile church age believers as having “infinite value” because it gives the church age believer the omnipotence they need to overcome sin and Satan. It gives them the assurance that they will be perfected in a resurrection body. Of course, it gives them the assurance of the Son’s permanent presence in their lives and thus eternal security. This “glorious revelation” pertains to the manifestation of the Father’s will in eternity past for His Son to indwell both Jewish and Gentile church age believers. It is a one of a kind revelation or we could say unique because it is uniquely applicable to only church age believers. In other words, it is a revelation which is unique for the church age believer and is designed uniquely for the church age believer. “This mystery” speaks of a truth which was not known to Old Testament saints but has now been revealed by the Father through the Spirit during the church age to the apostles who communicated it to the church. This mystery is identified here in Colossians 1:27 as Jesus Christ permanently indwelling both Jewish and Gentile church age believers. The prepositional phrase “among the Gentiles” indicates that this glorious revelation of Jesus Christ indwelling each and every church age believer, both Jew and Gentile and which revelation was not known by Old Testament saints was communicated to the Gentiles by Paul. It also identifies for the reader specifically why Old Testament saints were ignorant of this revelation. Although the prophets of Israel predicted the Gentiles would exercise faith in the Messiah and receive eternal salvation, Old Testament saints were totally unaware that Gentile believers would be fellow heirs with Jewish believers (cf. Eph. 3:1-13). Paul also emphasizes with these faithful Christians in Colossae who were primarily Gentile that each and every of them were indwelt by the Lord Jesus Christ. This would serve to encourage them to remain faithful to his apostolic teaching and reject the false doctrine being taught in Colossae. The apostle then goes on to describe Jesus Christ as “the confident expectation of glory,” since each and every church age believer will in the future receive a resurrection body from the Lord Jesus Christ as well as rewards if they remain faithful to Him. He is describing Jesus Christ as being the confident expectation of glory for the Christian in the sense that He will give each and every church age believer a resurrection body just like His at the rapture or resurrection of the church which is imminent. Also, they will receive from Him rewards at the Bema Seat for 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 44 faithful service. Furthermore, this “confident expectation of glory” is also used in relation to the church age believer experiencing fellowship with the Trinity. It is related to the blessing of having the character of Christ being formed in them by the Spirit through fellowship and various adversities and undeserved suffering. This blessing is related to deliverance experientially from the sin nature, Satan and his cosmic system. So in Colossians 1:27, Paul is asserting with these faithful Christians in Colossae that each and every one of them is indwelt by Jesus Christ permanently and this glorious revelation was a mystery which was not known prior to the church age. The indwelling of Jesus Christ is therefore totally unique to the church age since it has never taken place prior to the church age. It serves as a sign that the Christian is a child of God. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves as assurance for the Christian that he or she is eternally secure. It also serves as encouragement to the Christian when he or she endures underserved suffering. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves also as motivation for the Christian to grow to spiritual maturity. It is the basis for the Christian to give number one priority to their relationship with God rather giving it to people. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves as a reminder to the Christian that they have divine omnipotence available to them to grow to maturity and to endure undeserved suffering. It is also a guarantee that the Christian possesses eternal life and will live with God forever. The indwelling of Jesus Christ serves as a guarantee that the Christian will receive a resurrection body. The apostle Paul speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ indwelling each and every church age believer in Romans 8:10-11. Paul teaches in the protasis of a first class condition that appears in Romans 8:10 that the Christian is indwelt by Christ. Then, in the apodosis, he teaches that while on one hand, the Christian’s body is dead due to the sin nature but on the other hand, the Spirit is life and peace because of imputed righteousness. Romans 8:10 However, if, and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument Christ does, as an eternal spiritual truth, exist in all of you. Of course, He does! Then, on the one hand, the body is, as an eternal spiritual truth dead because of the sin nature while on the other hand, the Spirit is, as an eternal spiritual truth, life in all of you because of righteousness. (Author’s translation) We can see that in Romans 8:10, Paul presents two benefits that the Christian possesses as a result of Christ indwelling their soul. First of all, he teaches in the first statement contained in the correlative clause that the Christian’s body is subject to physical or biological death because the sin nature resides in its genetic structure. Secondly, in the adversative portion of this correlative clause, he teaches that the Spirit, who is inherently eternal life indwells the Christian and thus eternal life indwells the Christian because the Christian possesses the imputed righteousness of 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 45 Christ. So in this adversative clause, Paul is teaching that the indwelling of the Spirit and eternal life are the benefits of being indwelt by Christ. Without the Spirit, there is no eternal life whereas with the Spirit there is eternal life. Colossians 2:1 In fact, I want each and every one of you to know for certain how great a struggle I am experiencing on behalf of each and every one of you as well as for those who are located in Laodicea, yes in fact, for all those who have never seen my face in the flesh. 2 The purpose of this struggle is that their hearts would be encouraged. Specifically by being united by means of divinelove. Also, for a wealth which is absolute which is produced by that which is conviction which produces that which is discernment. For the purpose of knowing experientially the mystery which originates from God (the Father), namely the Christ. (Author’s translation) The apostle Paul in Colossians 2:2 continues his thought from Colossians 2:1 in which he informs the faithful Christians in Colossae that he was experiencing an intense struggle while interceding in prayer for them and those faithful Christians in Laodicea and all those who had never met him personally. Here in verse 2 he presents a three-fold purpose for which he experienced an intense struggle while interceding in prayer for all those Christians who he had never met personally. The first purpose is that the hearts of all these Christians would be encouraged. He then defines specifically the means by which this would take place, namely by all of them being united by means of divine-love. So therefore, this encouragement would be the direct result of all of them being united as a result of exercising the love of God toward each other. By exercising the love of God toward each other or practicing it with each other, they would be filled with courage and be strengthened to persevere in doing the Father’s will for their lives. It would raise the confidence of each one of them. Therefore, with this first purpose, the Holy Spirit through Paul is teaching these faithful Christians in Colossae and Christians here in the twenty-first century that encouragement for persevering in the Christian way of life is by means of the love of God. Specifically, it is by means of Christians operating in the love of God toward each other. The Spirit is also teaching that unity experientially in the body of Christ is accomplished by Christians operating in the love of God toward each other. Christians receive encouragement and unity is produced experientially among Christians when they exercise of divine-love toward each other. This love is produced by the Holy Spirit through the believer who is obedient to the Spirit inspired command of the Lord Jesus Christ to love one another as He loves. The Christians love for the Lord expresses itself in obedience to His Spirit inspired command to love one another as He loves them and which command reveals the Father’s will for the life of the Christian. So unity experientially in the church is based upon obedience to the command of John 13:34. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 46 The second purpose for which Paul experienced an intense struggle while interceding in prayer for those Christians he had never met personally is a wealth which is absolute. This is a reference to spiritual wealth, which is the mark of a Christian who is rich toward God. This wealth is of infinite or immeasurable value because it speaks of an infinite being, the Son of God whose indwelling of the church is of immeasurable to her. This wealth is “absolute” in the sense that it is free from imperfection in the sense that this wealth is infinite eternal wealth which is superior to wealth of the devil’s world which is transitory. Paul then identifies for the Colossians what produces this wealth which is absolute. This absolute wealth is produced by that which is conviction which is directly related to the gospel of Jesus Christ who is the truth of God incarnate. So this absolute spiritual wealth is produced by the Christian who possesses a conviction with regards to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words it is produced by the Christian being totally convinced and persuaded that the gospel is the truth of God. The apostle then proceeds to inform the Colossians that this conviction with regards to the gospel produces discernment which pertains to the result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively. It pertains to the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure, skill in discerning, and the power to see what is not evident to the average mind. Discernment refers to the ability to choose what is God’s will and what is not. So conviction in the gospel produces discernment or the ability to discern in each and every circumstance what is the Father’s will or not. The third purpose for which Paul experienced an intense struggle while interceding in prayer for those Christians who he had never met face to face is that they would all know experientially the mystery which originates from God the Father, namely, the Christ. This experiential knowledge speaks of these Christians personally encountering through the process of experiential sanctification or fellowship Jesus Christ as He is revealed by the Holy Spirit in a prayerful study of the gospel. It also refers to being affected by this encounter with Jesus Christ which in turn will result in the gaining of practical spiritual wisdom and more of the character of Christ. When Paul asserts that the Christ is the mystery which originates from God, he is speaking in regards to the non-Christian. By describing Jesus Christ as the mystery originating from God, he does not mean that Jesus Christ was not known to Old Testament saints since His person and work were prophesied about by the Old Testament prophets of Israel. Rather, the term “mystery” describes Jesus Christ in relation to those who do not exercise faith in Him as Savior in order to be declared justified by the Father. Jesus Christ is a mystery to those who are not initiated which is accomplished by being declared justified by the Father through faith alone in Jesus 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 47 Christ alone. So this word is an attack at the Essence branch of Judaism which possessed an incipient form of Gnosticism. Jesus Christ is also “the mystery originating from God” in the sense that Jesus Christ is the content of the gospel who fully disclosed God’s plan of salvation through His death and resurrection, His earthly life, and His First Advent. It speaks of the fact that He fully revealed what godly living is all about. In other words, He fully disclosed how a human being should live in order to honor God. Each of these three purpose clauses are directly related to each other. As we noted with the first purpose, these Christians whom Paul had never met personally would receive encouragement by each one of them exercising the love of God toward each other which would result in uniting them experientially. The third purpose is that they would know experientially Jesus Christ. Now, they can’t exercise God’s love unless they know Jesus Christ experientially. They would manifest the fact that they know Him experientially when they obey His command to love one another. Obeying His command to love one another is the means by which these Christians would be united experientially with each other and receive encouragement. This then points to the second purpose in that knowing Jesus Christ experientially is a wealth which is absolute and it is produced by conviction with regards to the gospel. This conviction is the direct result of exercising faith in the gospel which results in experiencing the deliverance from sin and Satan which was provided by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, exercising faith in the command to love one another as Christ loves enables the Spirit to reproduce the love of God in the life of the Christian. The more the Christian experiences victory over sin and Satan by appropriating by faith their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father they will receive more conviction. This conviction produces discernment in the sense that it provides the Christian the ability to discern what is the Father’s will and what is not and specifically identifies for the Christian what thoughts and actions are based upon the love of God in their life and what thoughts and actions are not. The church age believer’s spiritual wealth and prosperity resides in His union and identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection and session (Ephesians 3:8). Infinite spiritual wealth resides in the believer’s union and identification with Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14). In Ephesians 1:18-23, Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers would receive enlightenment and insight into the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints, which is the result of their union and identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and session. In Ephesians 2:1-10, the apostle taught the Ephesian believers that the surpassing riches of God’s grace are manifested to the believer through his union and identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and session. In Colossians 1:24-28, he taught the Colossian 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 48 believers that the indwelling Christ is a mystery doctrine for the church age and is the riches of God’s glory. So knowing Jesus Christ experientially will produce unity experientially in the body of Christ and encourage each member of the body of Christ because knowing Jesus Christ experientially is based upon exercising faith in His command love one another as He loves the Christian. This faith produces conviction and discernment in the Christian. This knowing of Jesus Christ experientially is wealth which is absolute or free from imperfection and is of infinite or immeasurable value to the Christian since it will result in rewards at the Bema Seat and a more intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ who is sovereign Creator and Redeemer of mankind. Colossians 4:2 Each of you must continue to make it your habit of being dedicated to persevering in prayer while continuing to exist in a state of being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. 3 Also, each of you at the same time continue to make it your habit of occupying yourselves with prayer on behalf of each one of us. Specifically, that the Father would make possible for each of us an opportunity for our unique message, namely, to communicate the mystery, which is concerning the one and only Christ because of which, I am in fact imprisoned. (Author’s translation) In Colossians 4:3, the noun mustērion means “mystery” but does not mean that Jesus Christ was not known to Old Testament saints since His person and work were prophesied about by the Old Testament prophets of Israel. Rather, the word describes Jesus Christ in relation to the unsaved or unregenerate. Jesus Christ is a mystery to those who are not initiated into the Christian way of life, which is accomplished by being declared justified by the Father through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. 2024 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 49