Ephesians Chapter 3 (4 of 7)
Series: The Epistle to the Ephesians
Harley Howard
1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
First of all, Paul calls himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ. One may look at Paul and assume that the hands of man imprisoned him, and if you were to look strictly on a human level, that would be your conclusion. However, Paul did not live his life on the human level, nor did he see the events of his life from that perspective, as clearly indicated by this verse.
He saw his imprisonment as that which was the by will of God. He was a prisoner because of Christ. His imprisonment was by the will of God, which was evident because of the spiritual results of his life being used by God while he was incarcerated. One of the greatest proofs of that statement is the very letter we are studying today. It was from this dismal state where Paul wrote this letter. His uncomfortable state of being did not hamper his usability at all. He also saw his imprisonment was in behalf of the gentiles. His imprisonment benefited them.
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 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;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 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.
Paul has already elaborated on the truth of the oneness of both Jew and Gentile in the second chapter and will elaborate on it some more before he is finished with this epistle. But before we move on with this issue, let's look at so ...
Series: The Epistle to the Ephesians
Harley Howard
1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
First of all, Paul calls himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ. One may look at Paul and assume that the hands of man imprisoned him, and if you were to look strictly on a human level, that would be your conclusion. However, Paul did not live his life on the human level, nor did he see the events of his life from that perspective, as clearly indicated by this verse.
He saw his imprisonment as that which was the by will of God. He was a prisoner because of Christ. His imprisonment was by the will of God, which was evident because of the spiritual results of his life being used by God while he was incarcerated. One of the greatest proofs of that statement is the very letter we are studying today. It was from this dismal state where Paul wrote this letter. His uncomfortable state of being did not hamper his usability at all. He also saw his imprisonment was in behalf of the gentiles. His imprisonment benefited them.
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 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;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 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.
Paul has already elaborated on the truth of the oneness of both Jew and Gentile in the second chapter and will elaborate on it some more before he is finished with this epistle. But before we move on with this issue, let's look at so ...
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