In this episode, the Apostle Paul reveals that God made him a minister of the gospel of grace and entrusted him with revealing the mystery—truths previously hidden but now made known through him. Through God’s resurrection power, Paul preached the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles and sought to help all understand the fellowship of the mystery. Even angels learn God’s manifold wisdom by observing the Church, which now has bold and confident access to God through Christ. Paul then begins a prayer for believers to be strengthened by the Spirit to live out these truths with power and maturity.

We learn in this teaching on Ephesians 3:1-6 that God revealed a completely new, previously hidden program—the mystery—directly to the Apostle Paul, through whom Christ disclosed His heavenly purpose for the Body of Christ. This mystery was never revealed in the Old Testament, the Gospels, or to the Twelve, but is now made known: that Jew and Gentile are joint‑partakers of God’s promise by the gospel. In this age of grace, God has formed the Church, with Christ as its exalted Head and with a heavenly calling distinct from Israel’s earthly program.

In this study, the Apostle Paul reminds Gentile believers of their former condition—“having no hope…without God.” But now, in Christ, those who were once far off have been brought near by His blood, and the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile has been removed. Through the Cross, Christ as “our peace” created one new man, the Body of Christ, reconciling both groups to God and granting all believers equal access to the Father by the Spirit. As a result, believers are now fellow citizens, members of God’s household, and living parts in a holy temple where God dwells through His Spirit.

In this episode, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that salvation is entirely by grace through faith, not by human effort, works, or religious performance. Because Christ fully paid the price for our sins through His shed blood, salvation is God’s free gift—received simply by believing the gospel. No one can boast, since justification and redemption come solely from God’s unmerited favor. As God’s workmanship, believers are created in Christ for good works—not to earn salvation, but to live out the transformed life His grace produces.

The truth of Scripture is that all men apart from Christ are separated from the life of God. In this teaching, the Apostle Paul reminds believers of their former condition—spiritually dead in their sins—in which they followed the world, the flesh, and Satan, and were deserving of God’s wrath. But God, Who is rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ, saving us entirely by His grace. Through this salvation, believers are raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly places, sharing His life and exalted position. For all eternity, God will display the riches of His grace and limitless kindness to us through Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul prays that believers would grow in spiritual wisdom and have the eyes of their understanding “enlightened” so they can grasp the hope of their heavenly calling. This power is that which also raised Christ from the dead and exalted Him far above all principalities. We further learn in this message that believers are called to live by this resurrection power, relying on God rather than their own strength to endure, serve, and live like Christ. Exalted as Head over all things for the Church, Christ fills and empowers the members of His Body so that His life is manifested through them.

In this study, the Apostle Paul teaches that God has lavished His grace on believers by giving them wisdom and understanding through the revelation of the mystery. This mystery explains God’s purposes for heaven and earth and shows that the Body of Christ has a heavenly inheritance, predestined to share in Christ’s glory. Believers are eternally secure because, after hearing and believing the gospel, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Paul rejoices in these blessings and gives thanks for the Ephesians’ faith and love, urging believers to live daily in trust because of their secure position in Christ.

This lesson begins our series in Ephesians with the Apostle Paul reminding believers that they are saints—holy and accepted in Christ. He praises God for blessing believers with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, including being chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to stand holy and blameless before Him. God also predestined believers to the adoption of sons, granting them full rights and inheritance in Christ according to His good pleasure. Through Christ’s blood, believers have redemption and complete forgiveness, all flowing from the immeasurable riches of God’s grace.