12/11/17 Ephesians 3:1-7 “Gentiles are equals of Jews in
the Church”
Ephesians 3:1 – For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ
for you Gentiles,
gentiles – ethnos (a multitude of individuals
of the same nature or genus; ethnic group; tribe; nation; pagans; Gentiles)
“For this cause (the building up of the saints
into a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place of God) I, Paul, the prisoner (in bondage) for the service of Jesus Christ for you
Gentiles ….”
We know that when
Paul left Ephesus on his 3rd missionary journey (in about 58AD), he
was not to see them again. Later that year, in Jerusalem, he entered the temple
with 4 Jewish converts (probably Jewish Christians). However, even though these
men were apparently entitled to enter the temple, the non-Christian Jews were
highly critical of Paul because he had encouraged Gentiles (and even Jews who
lived in Gentile nations) to forsake traditional laws such as circumcision.
Acts
21:21 – And they are informed of thee,
that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the
Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise [their] children,
neither to walk after the customs.
This caused a riot
which resulted in Paul appealing to Caesar and being transported to Rome as a
prisoner. Thus, Paul may now say that he is a prisoner for the Gentiles to whom
he is writing. For their sake he is in bonds.
Romans
11:13 – For I speak to you Gentiles,
inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Ephesians 3:2 – If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace
of God which is given me to you-ward:
if – if; indeed; inasmuch; as; since. Has the
sense of “if, as I suppose”.
heard – not deaf; understand; perceive the sense
of what is said; comprehend.
dispensation – oikonomia
(the management of a household and/or its affairs; stewardship; administration;
dispensation)
“If (as I suppose; since) you have heard (understood the meaning) of the dispensing (administering; administration) of the grace of God which (that is, grace) is given to me to you-ward (for your sakes).”
This grace (the
unmerited divine favour of God) relates to Paul being called to be the apostle
of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13).
This appears to be
a gentle (probably ironic) reminder of that position to which Paul had been
called on their behalf (as Gentiles).
Ephesians 3:3 – How that by revelation he made known unto me the
mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
How that – because; since
revelation – apokalypsis
(revelation; laying bare; disclosure of truth; manifestation; appearance)
Galatians
1:11-12 – 11 But I certify you, brethren,
that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For
I neither received it of man, neither was I taught [it], but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ.
mystery – mysterion (mystery;
hidden thing; secret; not obvious to the understanding; hidden purpose or
counsel; of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the
righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly)
1
Corinthians 2:7 – But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained
before the world unto our glory:
Romans
16:25-26a – 25 Now to him that is of power to
stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the
world began, 26 But now is made manifest,
as I wrote afore
in few words – see Ephesians 1:9 – Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
And what was that
mystery? Ephesians
1:10-14 – 11 In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in
Christ. 13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye
heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that
ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which
is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Paul is clearly
discussing a mystery which he clearly understood. Thus, it is not really a
mystery in the way that the calvinists use it, for they use the word “mystery”
to define that which is not meant to be clearly understood. (At times
they will refer to this mystery as the secret or hidden counsel
of their God, or hidden within the secret counsels of their God.
Interestingly, the word “occult” means “secret” or “hidden”!)
In Romans 16:25-26
(see above), Paul states that the mystery, that has been kept secret since the
world began, has now been revealed, made manifest (clear or obvious to the eye
or mind). Paul is writing primarily to the Gentiles, so therefore his
explanation of the mystery in Ephesians 1:10-14 will largely apply to the
Gentiles.
Thus, the mystery
here appears to be that the gospel of salvation, which had been a mystery to both
Jew and non-Jew since the beginning, had now been revealed to them (the
Gentiles). Paul goes on to say more about this mystery in the next 4 verses of
today’s passage, especially Ephesians 3:6 – That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his
promise in Christ by the gospel:
That is, firstly
Paul was made aware of this mystery: that the Gentiles would share (be
partakers with) the Jews in the gospel of reconciliation, and that now he was
sharing this mystery with them (in this case, the Gentiles, especially of Ephesus).
Note the
significance of sympolites (fellow citizens
with equal rights and privileges) in Ephesians 2:19. Also note where Paul is
the one called to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
Acts
9:15 – But the Lord said unto him (Ananias), Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
While some Gentiles
had been saved before the following occurred, here we read of the putting aside
of the Jews in favour of the Gentiles. That is, here the Gentiles actually take
the place of the Jews for eternal life!
Acts
13:45-48 – 45 But when the Jews saw the
multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake
against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 46
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It
was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but
seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life (eternal life), lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, [saying], I have
set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation
unto the ends of the earth. 48 And when the Gentiles heard
this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed.
Notice that the
same word for “eternal life” in Vs 48 is translated as “everlasting life” in Vs
46. However, if the two words are correctly read as meaning the same thing,
then the Jews have given to the Gentiles the right to hear and respond to the
gospel.
Ephesians 3:4 – Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my
knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Whereby – With regard to; In accordance with which.
understand – have understanding; think upon; ponder;
consider
knowledge – synesis (from syniemi
– syn - two who are intimately connected with
each other + hiemi – to send) The prefix syn denotes a synthesis but I am not certain what
of. This word seems to be related to both intelligence and truth, thus an
understanding of the truth.
“In accordance with
which (that which
I wrote before), when you read
it you may understand (or ponder; consider) my
knowledge (understanding
of the truth) of the mystery (hidden counsel) of Christ.”
This appears to be
emphasising the fact that Paul has obtained the understanding of this mystery
from God and thus it must be considered to be an absolute truth. Probably it
means that the truth of this mystery is not just the thinking of Paul alone,
but in conjunction (synthesis) with the revelation of God.
2
Peter 1:16 – For we have not followed
cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Paul desires that
they take what he is saying seriously; he wants them to understand that this
revealed mystery is of great importance.
Ephesians 3:5 – 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;
other ages – another generation; other generations.
sons – offspring of man. Also: children of
Israel; sons of Abraham; son of man; Son of God; sons or children of God.
men – anthropos (human being; all of
mankind; people [when plural])
sons of men – generally refers to those belonging to
mankind; could refer here to sons of Israel, or Abraham, David, etc.
revealed – apokalypto
(uncover; lay open what has been covered up; disclose; make bare; make known;
make manifest; disclose what was before unknown)
“For this mystery (that the Gentiles would be
partakers of the gospel of reconciliation) was not made known to the people of Israel (nor to the rest of mankind) as (like)
it is now revealed (uncovered;
manifested)to his holy apostles
and prophets by (in) the Spirit.” (This same phrase is translated as “in
the Spirit” in Revelation 1:10)
holy apostles
and prophets – 2
Peter 3:1-2 – 1 This second epistle, beloved,
I now write unto you; in [both] which I stir up your pure minds by way
of remembrance: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which
were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us
the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Ephesians
2:20 – And are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner [stone];
Ephesians 3:6 – That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs,
and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
This verse has 3
more of those syn words signifying a synthesis
of parts into a homogenous (or homogeneous) whole. There is a lot of emphasis
on many parts becoming one whole throughout Ephesians.
fellowheirs – sygkleronomos
(fellow heir; joint heir; one who obtains something assigned to himself with
others; joint participant) From syn + kleronomos – one who receives by lot; heir; one who
receives his allotted possession by right of sonship.
Note that the same
word is used to denote joint-heirship with Christ.
Romans
8:17 – And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him],
that we may be also glorified together.
This word is only
used 4 times in the New Testament.
the same body – syssomos
(belonging to the same body (metaphorically the body of the Church) From syn + soma – body of man or animals; corpse;
stars and planets; small or large groups of people in one society or family;
the Church, the body of Christ. This word is only used here.
partakers – symmetochos
(partaking together with each other; a joint partaker) From syn
+ metochos – sharing in; partaking in; a
partner (in work, office, dignity).
The Gentiles are to
be fellow-heirs of the promise in Christ, of the same body of the promise in
Christ, and partakers of the promise in Christ, all though the gospel. This
word is only used twice in the New Testament; the other time is in Ephesians
5:7.
Once again we get a strong emphasis on the unity of the Gentiles
with the Jews. There just aren’t separate peoples within the Church, but all
are one in Christ, regardless of ethnicity (a word that derives from ethnos
= translated as Gentiles in the above verse).
In this verse the
Gentiles are received into the fellowship of the Church as equals in every way
of those who had been given the promise from long ago.
promise – announcement; promise; a promised good or
blessing.
of his promise – of the promise, or of their (Jews)
promise?
“That the Gentiles
should be fellow-heirs (joint heirs) and of the
same body (the
one body of the Church of Christ)
and partakers (partaking
together with each other) of
the promise (originally
given to the Jews alone) in
Christ by (through) the gospel.”
Ephesians 3:7 – 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.
effectual
working – energeia (effectual working or power; in the New
Testament used only of superhuman power)
power – dynamis
(strength; power; ability)
according to – kata, which is also translated
“by” in this verse.
“Whereof (Of which, that is, the gospel) I was made a minister (diakonos – one who carries out the commands
of another) according to the
gift of grace of God given to me by (according to) the effectual working (energeia – effectual working or power) of His (God’s)
power (dynamis).”
Note that the grace
of God is not given by the effectual working of God’s power, but instead
is given according to the effectual working of God’s power. That is, it
is not given by means of God’s power, but according to the extent of
God’s power. There is a definite difference in the meaning when “by” is given
its correct translation “according to”.
While it is
impossible to find faith being taught as a gift of God anywhere in the Bible,
grace is definitely taught as a gift of God, in the verse above. Those
(especially calvinists) who consider one of their life’s goals to try by all
means to make faith a gift of God will find no joy in the plain clear reading
of the Bible to support their false doctrine. If faith is to be a gift of God,
then surely God would have told us so in His word! After all, other things are
defined very clearly as gifts: eternal life (Romans 6:23); justification
(Romans 5:16); righteousness (Romans 5:17).
We even have the
gift of Christ (Ephesians 4:7), the gift of God 2 Timothy 1:6) and the gifts of
the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 2:4).
But nowhere does it
say the gift of faith. It appears to say this in Ephesians 2:8 but the grammar
cannot permit this. But the calvinists do not give up that easily!
MacArthur then says:
Some have
objected to this interpretation, saying that faith (pistis) is feminine,
while that
(touto)
is neuter. That poses no problem, however, as long as it is understood that that does not refer
precisely to the noun faith
but to the act of believing.
http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ053113/is-faith-a-gift
Well, well, well! MacArthur
does implicitly acknowledge that “that” cannot refer precisely to
“faith. But, if “that” cannot refer to the noun “faith” because of the grammar,
then why not re-translate “faith” as “the act of believing”? Now MacArthur is
free to teach that “that” actually refers to “the act of believing”, which
really means “faith”, thus “proving” that “that” really does refer to the word
“faith”!?! The accuracy of the Bible is not important in the greater scheme of
calvinist interpretations. So, if the Bible cannot say what you want it to say
straight out, then just change a few words, add a little, take away a little,
until you have the Bible saying exactly what you want it to say! What hypocrisy!
Or should I say, what an oxymoron!
Another calvinist
source takes a different twist to this. If grace is a gift (that’s true!) and
if “faith” can be linked to “grace”, then while “that” cannot actually refer to
“faith” on its own (because “faith” is a feminine noun), it can refer to both
together! But we still have a problem, in that “grace” is also a feminine noun!
Both are feminine nouns, so how can a neuter “that” refer to two feminine
nouns? You’d think that if God meant both, He’d have made “that” a feminine
pronoun!
Faith
is a gift of the Lord to undeserving people, the outworking of God’s electing
grace and the atonement of Jesus for His own. Ephesians 2:8 confirms the truth
that faith is ultimately a gift of God. “The gift of God” in the original Greek
appears in the neuter grammatical form, which means that it refers back to both
grace and faith earlier in the verse. Grace and faith are divine gifts,
and our Father does not give them to all people.
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/gods-gift-of-faith/
Note also that this
person has made a basic assumption as a foundation to his argument: that faith
is ultimately a gift of God. Then, with this assumption established as a
“truth”, he then says that “that” actually refers to neuter “gift” which has
been established as the same as “faith” anyway! But, that would be saying that
“that” (“the gift”) is “the gift”! What an oxymoron!
Of course,
MacArthur is not to be outdone in twisting the truth to match his false
doctrines. Despite the Bible teaching that we are elect according to the
foreknowledge (prognosis) of God, MacArthur then re-defines
foreknowledge as the placing of God’s special relationship upon His people, the
elect. But, then such foreknowledge may only apply to the elect; this forces
the calvinist God to foreordain everything especially for the non-elect or else
He has totally lost control of them. That forces the calvinist God to
foreordain the lost to hell, as they cannot be able to do anything without God
knowing, and without foreknowledge, God cannot know anything about the lost
unless he first writes the complete script! And MacArthur refuses to teach that
his God foreordains the lost to hell! Another oxymoron!
MacArthur even goes
further by teaching that the Hebrew word yada, like prognosis,
defines a loving relationship God has with his people. But then, how do the
Sodomites want to yada (to know) the angels (Genesis 19:5). I’m sure it
didn’t mean a loving relationship there! Another
oxymoron!
Why can’t people
just teach the Bible for what it is, rather than try to squeeze it into shape
to match whatever doctrine they want the Bible to teach? No preconceived
assumptions which must then place controls upon how you interpret the Bible.
Grace is defined as a gift; faith is not defined as a gift! The Bible teaches
this clearly. Test all things! Accept the truth!
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