Ephesians
Chapter
3
{Verses
1-6: Doctrine of the Mystery}
{Verse
1: Paul as the Messenger}
1~~For
this reason,
I
. . . Paul . . .
the
prisoner of Christ Jesus
on
behalf of you . . . the Gentiles.
{Paul
Teaches about Dispensations}
2~~If
you have heard
{and concentrated on the doctrine}
of
the dispensation
of
the Grace of the God {Church Age}
-
and you have -
having
been given to me . . .
'for
you'/'for your benefit'.
{Church
Age Doctrine was Revealed to Paul}
3~~That
from
divine disclosure/revelation {apokalupsis}
the
mystery {doctrine}
was
revealed to me
just
insofar as I have previously written
in
brief.
{Note: Apokalupsis means 'enlightenment from God to Man'. It is the word from which we get 'Apocalypse' as the Apocalypse of our Lord Jesus Christ (book called 'Revelation'). The doctrines of the mystery - Church Age doctrines - were made known directly to Paul by God.}
{Knowledge
of the Mystery Doctrine}
4~~Face
to face with which
{the doctrine of the mystery}
when
you 'exegete and communicate'/'study and teach' {anaginosko}
you
ought to be able to begin to understand {noeo}
my
categorical knowledge {sunesis}
in
the sphere of
the
mystery of/'belonging to'
the
Christ.
{Note: Anaginosko means to gather knowledge on a subject and then teach it to others - to exegete. Noeo means to think or understand through concentration in study. And, sunesis means the storage of technical knowledge in categories.}
5~~Which
{doctrine of the mystery}
in
another of a different kind of periods
of
times/dispensations/ages
{at least two before the Church Age}
was
'absolutely not' {ouk}
revealed
to the sons of men,
so
that now
it
has been revealed
unto
His Holy Apostles
even
Prophets . . .
by
means of the {Holy} Spirit.
{Note: Ouk is the 'close the door' negative. Absolutely nothing of the Church Age was revealed to the Old Testament Saints. We are Royalty by the New Birth, in this dispensation only.}
{Note: Doctrine was revealed to the Apostles for the purpose of getting it in writing. It is first in the interest of the Apostles and then later for our benefit also. In this verse, the Greek syntax indicates the words 'Apostles' and 'Prophets' are used as synonyms. This is because the prophets wrote a good bit of the Old Testament and the Apostles wrote most of the New Testament.}
6~~That
the Gentiles
keep
on being joint-heirs
{equal opportunity for all in the same group- Royal Priests}
and
{fellow members} of the same body
and
sharers/'joint possessors' together
of
the same promise {of blessings}
in
{union with} Christ Jesus . . .
through
the Gospel.
{Verses
7-13: Doctrine of the Ministry}
7~~Of
which {Gospel} . . .
I
{Paul} have become
{what he was not before}. . .
a
minister {diakonos}
according
to the norm or standard
of
the free gift
from
the grace of the God
having
been given to me
'according
to the operational function'/
'by
the effectual working'
of
His Omnipotence/'divine power'.
{Note: Diakonos is the word from which we get 'deacon', and it does mean minister. In the bible, diakonos is used 5 different ways. Here it is used in a specialized way for the pastor-teacher of the local church. It is used in the sense of his authority, his communication of the Word of God, and his policy-making - 1 Corinthians 3:5; Ephesians 3:7; Colossians 1:7, 23; 4:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 1 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 6:10; Acts 6:4.}
{On
to SuperGrace}
8~~To
me, {Paul}
the
very least
{less than the very least}
of
all saints,
this
'SuperGrace blessing'/grace
has
been given,
for
the purpose that
I
should communicate
'in
the sphere of'/to the Gentiles
the
inexhaustible/incalculable/unlimited/infinite
riches/wealth
of
the Christ.
{Note: This is not 'false humility' here. Paul was the last possible candidate to be an Apostle. He murdered and persecuted Christians. He was very 'religious', self-righteousness, and the 'chief of all sinners'. But because of grace, he was given the gift of apostleship and produced more than all the other Apostles combined.}
9~~And
to 'shed light on'/'make perspicuous'/illuminate
what
is the dispensation of the mystery
{doctrine pertaining to the Church Age},
having
been hidden/concealed
from
the ages
{previous dispensations}
by
the God {Jesus Christ},
having
created 'the all things'
{Jesus created the universe and all in it}.
{Orientation
to the Angelic Conflict}
10~~In
order that
now/'at
the present time' {Church Age}
the
multifarious/'many sided diversity' wisdom
of
the God
might
be made known/perspicuous
to
the rulers
{demon rulers/fallen angel leaders}
and
authorities
{demon officer corps}
in
the heavenlies
by
means of the church
{see Ephesians 6:2}.
{Note: Part of the mystery is that the Church is the means of resolving the Angelic Conflict. The angels are learning in this dispensation also.}
{Emphasis
of the Ministry}
11~~According
to a predetermined plan {'protasis'}
of
the ages {aion}
which
He has carried out . . .
in/'by
means of'
Christ
Jesus our Lord.
{Note: Protasis - Plan of God in eternity past - see also Chapter 1. Aion does mean 'ages' and here it refers to the dispensations established under God's plan.}
12~~In
Whom {Jesus}
we
keep having and holding
the
'confident assurance'
and
'free access to God' {prosagoge}
in
confidence
{with respect to handling a strange situation}
through
His doctrine.
{Note: Prosagoge - primarily means to have access to the King/royalty. This means admission face to face with Royalty - God.}
{Note:
The purpose of the ministry is to lead Members of the congregation
to the SuperGrace life - knowledge of Bible doctrine -
'grow
in grace and the KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'.}
13~~Therefore/'for
this reason',
I,
myself, personally
ask
you not to despair
because
of my pressures/sufferings . . .
on
your behalf . . .
which
by their very nature
keep
on being . . .
your
glory
{congregation going to SuperGrace glory}.
{Note: As a teacher, Paul spends a tremendous amount of time in studying and teaching. The pressures here are limited to the communicating type - Paul now is not under discipline here.}
{Verses
14-18: Doctrine of GAP Prayer of Paul for Us to Move to SuperGrace}
{Verses
14-15: Indication of Apostolic Prayer - Learning Doctrine}
14~~For
this reason,
I
kneel/'bow my knees'
face
to face with
the
Father {pater}.
{Note: Concept here is of prayer. All prayer is addressed to God the Father. All prayer should be done in humility. Posture is not important. It is your mental attitude that is important.}
15~~Out
from the source of Whom
{God the Father - 'pater'}
the
entire {Royal} Family {patria}
in
heavens {plural}
and
on earth
derives
its name/title.
{Note: This is a paronomasia (play on words in the Greek - pater and patria). The word for 'Family' (patria) comes from the word for the title of the first person of the Godhead - 'Father' (pater). Actually, our 'spiritual descent' is based upon regeneration. And, our spiritual descent is royalty. This is the only dispensation in which there is royalty in the family of God.}
{Content
of the Prayer - GAP by Means of Reaching SuperGrace}
16~~In
order that
He
might give you all
-
to your advantage -
according
to the standard of the riches {ploutos} . . .
of
His glory/essence
{all that God is}
to
become strong
{krataioo - advance to SuperGrace}
by
means of power
{doctrine in your soul}
through
His Spirit
{see Galatians 5:16}
with
reference to the inner man {soul}.
{Note: Ploutos means materialist riches in time. SuperGrace blessing is 'heaven on earth'. But materialist blessings are meaningless unless you have the 'capacity' to enjoy them. David referred to this as the 'cup in his soul' and 'my cup runnith over'. God can not pour unless you have a 'cup'. Doctrine in your soul forms the cup/altar/'Edification Complex of the Soul'.}
{Note: Krataioo is the word from which we get words like Demo-cratic. 'Demo' is the word for the people (as also in 'demographics'). The 'cratic' suffix means to rule or be strong. So Democratic describes an area ruled by the people. Here 'krataioo' means to grow strong via bible doctrine and thereby grow spirituality to SuperGrace status.}
17~~{That}
the
Christ
may
indwell/'be at home'
in
your right lobes/heart
through
the doctrine
{'doctrine' is 'what is believed' and therefore 'Truth'}
{assimilated}
in the sphere of agape {virtue} love
after
having rooted doctrine in the right lobe
and
after having been rooted
and
after having received the foundation
{first floor of Edification Complex of the Soul (ECS)}.
{Note: God the Holy Spirit indwells the body. Christ is said to indwell the mentality of the soul. Principal here is Occupation with Christ. When you assimilate enough doctrine into your soul, then you have fellowship with Christ on the road to SuperGrace. If you go into reversionism, then Christ is no longer at home and is instead outside knocking on the door - with discipline. See Revelation 3:20.}
{Verses
18-21:Doctine of the SuperGrace Life - Pleroma Tou Theou}
18-19~~In
order that,
you
all might have
complete
{'grace'} ability {through GAP}
to
totally comprehend {yourself}
in
the company of all saints
{emphasizing assembly of believers} . . .
what
. . . {is}
the
breadth
{the great width - implies storage of Church Age doctrine},
and
length
{implies time categories of doctrine - dispensations etc. },
and
depth
{implies doctrines related to the angelic conflict},
and
height
{implies doctrines concerning the Godhead)} 19~~
and
{te}
to
come to know
{intelligent comprehension of}
the
surpassing gnosis/knowledge agape/love
which
belongs to the Christ
in
order that you might be filled up
to
all the fullness {SuperGrace blessings}
from
the source of the God {pleroma tou Theou}.
{Note: 'Te' is a classical Greek particle and is unusual to find used in the Bible. Paul here is using it to closely tie verse 18 with 19.}
{Note: To become spiritually mature, we have to get beyond 'gnosis' knowledge to epignosis knowledge which belongs to Jesus - the mind of Christ - Bible doctrine. Once you have built the 'cup'/'edification complex' in the soul', then God can fill up your cup. God pours and you are blessed. You have to know Christ to really love Him.}
{Note: Pleroma Tou Theou means 'Fullness from God'. RBT uses 'Pleroma' to describe a believer who has reached SuperGrace.}
{Divine
Authority is Related to the SuperGrace Blessing}
20~~Now
to the One . . . Himself . . .
being
able far beyond all things . . .
to
do 'exceedingly abundantly'/'infinitely more'
than
that which we 'keep on asking'/'have always wanted'
or
be imagining
{more than 'we could ever imagine when we are imaging'}
according
to the {inherent} power
being
itself effective in us
{bible doctrine + filling of the Spirit}.
{Ways
God is Glorified in Time: In Study, In Christ, and In Blessing Us in
Satan's World}
21a~~To
Him . . . the glory
in
the church/class
{ekklesia - as the local classroom - by taking in His Word}
and
in Christ Jesus
{by being in union with Him - Positional Truth}
with
reference to all generations
{of the unique Church age} . . .
forever
and ever.
{God is glorified in giving us SuperGrace blessings}
21b~~Amen/'I
believe it'
{acclamation of doctrine in Christian worship}.
{Note:
Ekklesia is the word for the assembly of believers and does mean
church. Here it represents the church in its role as the local
classroom. As you take in the Word of God, you bring glory to the Lord.}
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This
page is sponsored by
Kenneth Sidley, CPA and
MoxFor Pain.
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