Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Ephesians
Chapter 3: The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
Ephesians 3 unveils the mystery of the gospel and rises into one of Scripture's great prayers. God revealed to Paul 'the mystery of Christ,' hidden in other ages but now made known: 'that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ.' To Paul, 'less than the least of all saints,' was given the grace 'to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,' so that 'the manifold wisdom of God' might be shown through the church. Then Paul bows his knees and prays that believers, 'strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man,' would have 'Christ... dwell in your hearts by faith,' and, 'rooted and grounded in love,' would 'know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,' and be 'filled with all the fulness of God.' He closes with a soaring doxology to the God 'that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.' The chapter shows us the revealed mystery, the indwelling Christ, and the boundless love and fullness of God.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Ephesians chapter 3. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Paul unfolds the mystery of Christ revealed to the church and prays that believers may know the boundless love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of God. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Revealed to the Apostles
Gentiles are fellowheirs in Christ, once hidden, now made known.
The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
Paul preaches riches too deep ever to be fully explored.
Christ Dwell in Your Hearts
Strengthened by the Spirit, indwelt by Christ, rooted in love.
The Love That Passeth Knowledge
To be filled with all the fullness of God.
The Unsearchable Riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:1-13)
The mystery once hidden is now revealed: Gentiles are fellowheirs in Christ, and Paul is sent to preach His unsearchable riches.
The Manifold Wisdom of God
"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory."
Word Study
"mystery," Greek musterion (μυστήριον). The word does not mean a puzzle to be solved by cleverness, but a truth once hidden and now revealed by God. Paul speaks of "the mystery of Christ," "which in other ages was not made known... as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." The mystery is not that salvation would come, the prophets foretold that, but the fullness of how: "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ." Jew and Gentile made one body in Christ, on equal footing, was the hidden purpose of God now brought to light. A musterion, then, is a sacred secret God kept in His own counsel and has now unveiled in the gospel. It cannot be reached by human reasoning; it must be "revealed... by the Spirit." And this revealed mystery displays "the manifold wisdom of God," shown even "unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places" through the church. The gospel is the unveiling of God's long-hidden plan, and the church, made of Jew and Gentile in one body, is the living proof of His manifold wisdom, according to His "eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Explanation
Paul unveils the "mystery" entrusted to him — hidden in ages past, now revealed: "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ." This was God's plan all along, and Paul, "less than the least of all saints," was made its herald, preaching "the unsearchable riches of Christ." Even the angelic powers learn God's "manifold wisdom" by watching the church — Jew and Gentile made one. In Christ believers have "boldness and access with confidence," so Paul asks them not to faint at his sufferings, which are their glory.
Gospel Focus
Paul, "the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles," describes the special stewardship God gave him: "by revelation he made known unto me the mystery." This mystery, hidden "in other ages," is "now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit", namely, "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ." Gentiles are not second-class add-ons but full heirs, members of the same body, sharers in the same promise. Paul marvels at his own place in this: "unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." He never got over the wonder that such grace was given to him, the former persecutor, to proclaim riches so deep they can never be fully explored, "the unsearchable riches of Christ." And there is a cosmic purpose in it: "to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." God is putting His wisdom on display through the church, a redeemed people of Jew and Gentile made one, even before the watching angelic world. This was "the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Paul notes in passing a striking word: this mystery was "hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." The one God who created all things did so by Jesus Christ, the Word through whom all was made, for Christ is the one God's own creating power and wisdom come in flesh, not a separate creator beside Him. And through this Christ "we have boldness and access with confidence." So Paul asks the Ephesians not to lose heart over his imprisonment; his sufferings for them are "your glory," part of the price of the gospel that made them fellowheirs. The mystery is revealed, the riches of Christ are unsearchable, and the church is the showcase of God's manifold wisdom, according to His eternal purpose in Christ.
To Know the Love of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Paul prays that believers, strengthened by the Spirit and indwelt by Christ, would know His boundless love and be filled with the fullness of God.
Filled with All the Fulness of God
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
Word Study
"fulness," Greek pleroma (πλήρωμα). The word means fullness, that which fills, completeness. Paul prays that believers "might be filled with all the fulness of God." This is a staggering request: not merely to receive something from God, but to be filled with God's own fullness. The same word describes Christ, in whom "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9); and God's purpose is that His people, indwelt by Christ and strengthened by His Spirit, be filled to overflowing with Himself, His life, His love, His character. This does not make us God by nature, but it means the one God fully indwells and fills His people, so that they are complete in Him, lacking nothing. The path to this pleroma is love: to be "rooted and grounded in love" and to "know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." As we grasp the immeasurable love of Christ, a love with "breadth, and length, and depth, and height" beyond all measuring, we are filled with the fullness of God. The goal of the Christian life is not merely forgiveness but this: to be filled with all the fullness of God, through the indwelling Christ and His boundless love.
Explanation
Paul bows his knees in one of Scripture's greatest prayers — not for their circumstances but for their inner life: that they be "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man," that "Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith," and that they might "comprehend... the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." The paradox is deliberate — to know a love beyond knowing — until they are "filled with all the fulness of God." It closes in a doxology to the One "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." God's power at work in us outstrips even our prayers.
Gospel Focus
Overwhelmed by the mystery of grace, Paul bows in prayer: "I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." He prays to the one God, the Father, from whom every family draws its name and being. And his requests rise like steps. First, inner strength: "that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." God's power, by His Spirit, works in the hidden inner life. Second, the indwelling Christ: "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." Christ, by His Spirit, takes up settled residence in the believing heart; He is not a visitor but a resident. And the one God's own Spirit strengthening us, and Christ dwelling in us, are not two rival presences but the one God indwelling His people, for Christ dwells in us by that same Spirit. Third, rooted love: "that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." Paul prays that we would grasp the immeasurable dimensions of Christ's love, a love so vast it "passeth knowledge," yet is to be "known" by experience, held not fully but truly. And the summit: "that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." That we, indwelt by Christ and grasping His love, would be filled to overflowing with God Himself. Then Paul breaks into a doxology that matches the greatness of the prayer: "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." God is able to do far beyond our prayers and imaginations, and the measure is the power already at work within us. So "unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." The God who reveals the mystery, indwells us by His Spirit, and fills us with His fullness is worthy of endless glory, and He works that glory through the church and in Christ Jesus forever.
Chapter 3 in Review
Ephesians 3 reveals the mystery and rises into prayer. God made known to Paul "the mystery of Christ," hidden in other ages but now revealed, "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ." To Paul, "less than the least of all saints," was given grace to preach "the unsearchable riches of Christ," so that "the manifold wisdom of God" might be shown through the church. Then Paul prays that believers, "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man," would have "Christ... dwell in your hearts by faith," and, "rooted and grounded in love," would "know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge," and be "filled with all the fulness of God." He closes with the doxology to the God "that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter opens the depths of the gospel and the goal of the Christian life. The mystery is now unveiled: Jew and Gentile made one body in Christ, a display of God's manifold wisdom even to the angelic world, according to His eternal purpose. The riches of Christ are unsearchable, never to be exhausted. And the aim of it all is breathtaking: not merely to be forgiven, but to be strengthened by God's Spirit, indwelt by Christ, rooted in love, to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge, and to be filled with all the fullness of God, the one God fully indwelling and filling His people. This is no distant hope but the work of the God who "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." So bow your knees with Paul, ask the God who does far beyond our asking to strengthen you within, to make Christ at home in your heart, and to fill you with His fullness, and give Him glory in the church, by Christ Jesus, world without end.
- The mystery revealed: Gentiles are "fellowheirs... of the same body" in Christ (3:6).
- Paul preaches "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (3:8).
- The church displays "the manifold wisdom of God" (3:10).
- Prayer: to be "strengthened... by his Spirit" and have "Christ... dwell in your hearts" (3:16-17).
- "To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge... filled with all the fulness of God" (3:19).
- God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (3:20).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you marvel, as Paul did, at the grace given to unworthy sinners?
- Is Christ truly "dwelling in your heart," at home there by faith?
- Are you growing to "know the love of Christ," even though it "passeth knowledge"?
- Do you pray to the God who does "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think"?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The mystery of Christ revealed; Gentiles fellowheirs: Ephesians 3:1-9; Romans 16:25-26; Colossians 1:26-27; Ephesians 2:11-22. God created all things by Jesus Christ: Ephesians 3:9; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2. The manifold wisdom of God shown through the church: Ephesians 3:10-13; 1 Peter 1:12; 1 Corinthians 2:7. The prayer to be filled with the fullness of God: Ephesians 3:14-19; Colossians 2:9-10; John 14:23; Ephesians 1:23. The doxology: Ephesians 3:20-21; Romans 11:36; Jude 24-25. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The mystery revealed; the unsearchable riches of Christ: Ephesians 3:1-13; Colossians 1:26-27; John 1:3.
- Christ dwelling in the heart; the love that passeth knowledge: Ephesians 3:14-19; Colossians 2:9-10.
- The doxology to the God who does exceeding abundantly: Ephesians 3:20-21; Romans 11:36.