Today’s Verse of the Day Ephesians 3:8 (NET)

Faithlife Study Bible (FSB) is your guide to the ancient world of the Old and New Testaments, with study notes and articles that draw from a wide range of academic research. FSB helps you learn how to think about interpretation methods and issues so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the text.

3:8 least of all the saints Paul considered himself the least because he had persecuted the Church prior to becoming a Christ-follower (1 Cor 15:9; compare Acts 9:4; 1 Tim 1:15–16).

fathomless riches of Christ Refers to the blessings made available through Christ (Eph 1:3–8).

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Eph 3:8). Lexham Press.

The Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament surveys each book of the New Testament at several levels—Book, Division, Section, Pericope, Paragraph, and Unit—providing contextually appropriate commentary on each level. The reader of the commentary can easily ascertain the contextual importance of any larger section, or pericope, or even a particular verse of Scripture.

Purpose of the Mystery (3:8–13)

In this paragraph Paul reveals the ultimate purpose of the mystery that is now disclosed as the gentiles being made part of the family of God. He explains in 3:10 that God’s great wisdom, and thus his glory, is now made known to all. He states that he was called to preach Christ to the gentiles and reveal this mystery (3:8–9) so that God’s will could be disclosed.

He continues to explain that this was also the purpose of Jesus’ work (3:11–12). Based on this knowledge, Paul beseeches the Ephesians to not be discouraged when they see his suffering; rather, these sufferings are actually for the benefit of the Ephesians, for through them the mystery has been revealed, the Ephesians are brought into God’s family, and God receives the glory.

3:8 Paul begins this paragraph by continuing the explanation of his role in revealing the mystery of Christ. He acknowledges that he is the least of the saints, surely alluding to his previous attacks on Christians. He then explains a twofold responsibility of this calling. The first obligation, which is explained in the remainder of 3:8, was to the gentiles. The second, explained in 3:9, was directed to all people.

Mangum, D., ed. (2020). Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament (Eph 3:8–13). Lexham Press.

Verse of the day Ephesians 3:18-9 (NET)

Faithlife Study Bible (FSB) is your guide to the ancient world of the Old and New Testaments, with study notes and articles that draw from a wide range of academic research. FSB helps you learn how to think about interpretation methods and issues so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the text.

3:18 the breadth, and length, and height, and depth Evokes the boundless nature of Christ’s love.

3:19 surpasses knowledge The love of Christ is beyond human comprehension.

fullness of God This could refer to the blessings of God (1:3–8) or to His perfection and completeness. Compare note on Col 1:19.

Note

1:19 all the fullness to dwell in him Refers to God being fully present in Christ, parallel with Paul’s statement in 2:9. Consequently, Christ is sufficient for the Colossians’ salvation

This phrase echoes the glory of God filling of the tabernacle (Exod 40:34). In the ancient world, people believed that deities lived on high places such as mountains (see note on Gen 11:3).

For example, when the Israelites entered the wilderness, God met them on a mountain (Exod 19:3). But God did not stay on the mountain; He instructed the Israelites to build a tabernacle—a dwelling place for Him to live among His people (Exod 25:8).

God came down and filled the tabernacle with His glory as a sign of His presence among them (Exod 40:34). The prophet Isaiah interpreted this cloud of glory as the Holy Spirit (Isa 63:11). This gracious act was God’s extension of friendship to the Israelites (compare Exod 33:11).

The Gospel of John describes Christ as the tabernacle or the dwelling of God (John 1:14)—an allusion that demonstrates the continuity between God’s presence among the Israelites and His presence in the person of Christ.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Eph 3:18–19). Lexham Press.

The Lexham Research Commentary is your starting point for study and research. It surveys all the relevant literature on a passage and brings the summary back to you. This guide summarizes a broad range of views on a particular passage—views you may or may not agree with, but in all cases, views you will encounter as you critically study the text.

The Fullness of God

In Ephesians 3:19 Paul prays that his readers’ knowledge of Christ’s love will result in their being filled (plēroō) with “the fullness of God” (to plērōma tou theou). The term plērōma appears in various ways in the nt, though it occurs most often in Paul’s letters. It is used in a simple sense to describe the amount of bread in the 12 baskets in the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 (Mark 6:43).

In Romans, Paul anticipates Israel’s resistance to the gospel will continue until “the full number of the Gentiles” (to plērōma tōn ethnōn) joins the people of God. Paul also refers to love as the “fullness” of the law (Rom 13:10). Paul writes that the birth of Christ occurred when the “fullness of time” (to plērōma tou chronou) came (Gal 4:4). And Colossians 2:9–10 contains a similar phrase with reference to Christ—“the fullness of deity” (to plērōma tēs theotētos).

Paul’s use of plērōma, along with its related verb plēroō, in Eph 3:19 raises several interpretive possibilities. The expression “the fullness of God” may express an ideal hope that the believer will one day be filled with the holiness and perfection of God.

Alternatively, it may refer to a believer growing to full maturity in Christ, or it may describe the spiritual blessings God grants believers in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3). Among several additional possible interpretations, Lincoln (1990, 214) argues that plērōma refers to God’s “presence and power, his life and rule,” which is immanent in creation and mediated in the believer’s life through the Spirit.

• Arnold maintains that “the fullness of God” is coextensive with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Arnold reads Ephesians 3:19 in light of the use of Isaiah in the affirmation of Eph 2:11–12: “The Lord is near.” Accordingly, Paul’s prayer in Eph 3 is that believers will experience the divine presence in its full measure.

• Paying close attention to the preposition eis (“to”) in Eph 3:19, Best argues that believers are not filled with the fullness of God in a direct sense. Rather, Best suggests, believers are filled with the same thing that fills God Himself: His love. He compares this to Paul’s later exhortation to imitate God, which comes in a context of love (Eph 5:1–2).

• Carson paraphrases being “filled up to all the fullness of God” as Paul saying “be all that God wants you to be.” He cites Ephesians 4:12–13 and explains that “the fullness of God” refers to spiritual maturity. According to Carson, this passage (Eph 3:14–19) implies that believers cannot be spiritually mature unless God’s power enables them to grasp the unfathomable dimensions of Christ’s love.

• In his dictionary article on Paul’s use of plērōma language, Lim suggests Eph 3:19 refers to believers’ growth until they reach the fullness of God. He examines the term in Eph 1:22, where it refers to the Church as “the fullness of Christ.” In Lim’s view, this refers to the Church being filled by Christ. He also addresses Eph 4:13, where the term describes the “full realization of the unity of all believers in Christ.”

• O’Brien interprets “the fullness of God” in terms of divine holiness since God and Christ are the standard for believers. As believers are filled with God’s presence, they will receive the full measure of spiritual maturity.

• Snodgrass, noting the close connection of this passage to Col 1:19 and Col 2:9, interprets “the fullness of God” as a description of how God makes His presence and power known to believers as they are made full by Christ and His love. Citing Colossians 2:9–10, he writes, “God’s fullness dwells in Christ and in him Christians are made full.” Snodgrass points out that Eph 5:1–2 expresses this same thought as an imperative.

• Thielman reads Ephesians 3:19 with Eph 4:13, where Paul refers to “the fullness of Christ.” He therefore argues that Eph 3:19 envisions believers maturing until they reach the fullness for which God created them—that is, the perfection of God.

Brown, D. R., Custis, M., & Whitehead, M. M. (2013). Ephesians (D. Mangum, Ed.; Eph 3:19). Lexham Press.

Verse of the day Ephesians 1:6 (NET)

Faithlife Study Bible (FSB) is your guide to the ancient world of the Old and New Testaments, with study notes and articles that draw from a wide range of academic research. FSB helps you learn how to think about interpretation methods and issues so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the text.

The oldest copies of this letter do not include the Greek phrase en ephesō (“in Ephesus”) in Eph 1:1, which may indicate that Ephesus was not the original destination. Ephesians might have been a circular letter—one that was intentionally written for a wide audience and sent to multiple places. If so, it could be the letter mentioned in Col 4:16 as being sent to the church at Laodicea.

The reference to Ephesus might have been inserted later, perhaps to reflect the letter’s first destination. Since Paul had spent several years in Ephesus (Ac 19:10), several statements in the text implying that Paul was unfamiliar with his audience (Eph 1:15; 3:2) lend support to the circular-letter theory. It is possible that Paul was even imprisoned in Ephesus when he wrote this letter; if so, it likely was composed around ad 54–57.

Paul also could have written it from Caesarea (ad 58–60) or Rome (early 60s ad; see note on Phil 1:7). Paul begins this letter in the customary fashion for Graeco-Roman letters: He identifies himself and his audience and offers his typical greeting of grace and peace (see Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2).

Introduction to Ephesians

Ephesians gives a cosmic view of God’s plans for the world, explaining the mystery of the gospel. Because of Jesus’ death, all people can receive the gift of forgiveness for their trespasses against God and others (Eph 1:3–10; 2:1–8). Through the sacrifice of Christ, God has brought believers in Jesus—Jews and non-Jews alike—together as one new humanity (2:11–18). God shows no partiality (6:9).

Background

The letter identifies Paul as the author (1:1; 3:1), and sources from the early church unanimously affirm that he wrote Ephesians. However, there is some modern debate about its authorship. This debate centers around the letter lacking personal greetings at the end (as Paul’s letters usually do), the difference in writing style and emphasis from his other letters (outside of Colossians), and the suggestion that someone may have imitated Colossians when composing Ephesians. However, the arguments against Paul’s authorship are far from conclusive and could be explained by Paul dictating to a different scribe and other factors.

The oldest copies of Ephesians do not name the city of Ephesus in the opening verse. Paul apparently spent a lot of time there (Acts 19:8–10; 20:31), but some statements in the letter suggest that he might not know the recipients (Eph 1:15; 3:2). Along with the unusual style and emphasis, these statements could indicate that Ephesians was a circular letter, sent to multiple churches in Asia Minor. In this view, the letter eventually came to be associated with Ephesus because it was the most prominent city in the area.

Paul wrote Ephesians from prison (3:1; 6:20), perhaps in Rome, Caesarea, or even Ephesus itself (if it was a circular letter). If written from Ephesus, the letter likely was composed around AD 54–57. If writing from Caesarea or Rome, Paul likely wrote the letter circa AD 58–63. It seems that his audience consisted mainly of non-Jewish Christians (2:11–22; 3:1, 6; 4:17–24). Paul emphasizes Christ’s exaltation above all powers (1:20–23; 2:2) and instructs believers to stay strong in Christ against the schemes of the devil (6:10–20). These believers may have been tempted by the notion that other authorities could have some claim on them.

Structure

Unlike Paul’s other writings, Ephesians reads more like a sermon—a style that supports it being intended to circulate among multiple churches. Nonetheless, Ephesians does include some standard features of a letter, including an opening salutation (1:1–2) and a conclusion and benediction (6:21–24). The body of the letter includes two broad sections: an opening theological section (1:3–3:21) and a second section that builds on that theology (4:1–6:20). Paul begins the first section by praising God for blessings in Christ (1:3–14) and praying that readers might know God’s hope, glory, and power (1:15–23). He emphasizes that they have been made alive in Christ (2:1–10) and that Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) are united into a new humanity (2:11–22). Then Paul speaks about his own mission to proclaim this gospel (3:1–13), and he prays that believers will know the fullness of Christ’s love (3:14–21).

In the second section, Paul urges his readers to live in light of these truths. They should seek unity (4:1–6) and use their gifts for ministry (4:7–16). They should put away their old life and embrace a new one characterized by wisdom and the Spirit (4:17–5:21). Then Paul provides instructions for each member of the typical Graeco-Roman household (5:22–6:9). Finally, he tells readers to put on the armor of God to withstand evil powers (6:10–20).

Outline

• Salutation (1:1–2)

• God’s work of reconciliation in Christ (1:3–3:21)

• Living in response to God’s work in Christ (4:1–6:20)

• Conclusion and benediction (6:21–24)

Themes

The main theme of Ephesians is unity in Christ. All things are held together in Christ (1:10), and Christians need to consciously resist forces that seek to divide them. They are to live as people who have been saved by Jesus and who speak the truth and avoid evil; they are to seek unity with one another but avoid deceptive people (4:17–5:21).

In the Church, God has created one unified people out of groups that previously were hostile toward each other. Every relationship is redefined, including those between Jews and non-Jews, and those within each household (5:22–6:9). The Church itself is the household of God, built on Jesus as the cornerstone (2:19–22). Origin, race, or status should not be a source of division.

Yet the powers of evil seek to divide people against one another and against God (6:12), but Jesus enables believers to overcome evil and remain united. Unity and peace among God’s people are signs of Christ’s supremacy: He can do what no one else can. The peace that Christ gives and His incorruptible love is the answer to our conflicts and difficulties and must be boldly proclaimed (6:19–20, 23–24).

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Eph 1:1–2). Lexham Press.