Ephesians 3

The AIT Bible

The Mystery Revealed to Paul

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—

2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God that was given to me for you,

3that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote briefly before,

4by which, when you read it, you are able to perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,

5which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,

6that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

7of which I became a servant according to the gift of the grace of God that was given to me according to the working of his power.

8To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9and to bring to light what is the stewardship of the mystery hidden from the ages in God, who created all things,

10so that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places,

11according to the purpose of the ages that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him.

13Therefore I ask that you not lose heart over my afflictions on your behalf, which are your glory.

14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

16that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—being rooted and grounded in love—

18so that you may have full strength to comprehend, together with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work within us,

21to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.

Where this passage connects across Scripture — each link typed and reasoned, part of the AIT Bible Nexus Chart.

parallel Colossians 1:25 — Both describe Paul's stewardship (oikonomia) of God's grace given to him for the church.
parallel Colossians 1:26 — Both describe the mystery hidden from past generations now revealed to God's people.
thematic 1 Corinthians 15:9 — Paul similarly calls himself the least of the apostles/saints in humility about his commission.
thematic 1 Peter 1:12 — Both speak of heavenly beings/angels observing the unfolding of God's saving purposes.
thematic Colossians 1:16 — Both affirm God (in Christ) as creator of all things in the context of the revealed mystery.
thematic Ephesians 4:1 — Paul repeatedly describes himself as a prisoner for the sake of the gospel and the Gentiles.
thematic Ephesians 1:9 — The mystery of God's will made known by revelation is a central Ephesians theme.
thematic Ephesians 2:19 — The mystery is the incorporation of Gentiles into one body with Israel, developed earlier in the letter.
thematic Galatians 1:12 — Paul insists his gospel came through revelation, not human teaching.
thematic Hebrews 4:16 — Both describe confident access/boldness before God through Christ.
thematic Romans 8:17 — Both develop the theme of Gentiles/believers as fellow heirs in Christ.
thematic Romans 5:2 — Both affirm believers' access to God through faith in Christ.

parallel Colossians 1:11 — Both pray that believers be strengthened with power according to God's glorious might.
parallel Romans 16:25 — Both are doxologies ascribing power/glory to God in language linked to the revealed mystery.
allusion Colossians 2:7 — Shared agricultural/architectural metaphor of being rooted and grounded/built up in Christ.
thematic Colossians 2:9 — Both speak of the divine fullness in relation to Christ and believers.
thematic Ephesians 1:16 — Both are Paul's intercessory prayers for the Ephesians' spiritual strengthening and knowledge.
thematic Ephesians 1:23 — Both develop the theme of the fullness of God/Christ filling the church.