Ephesians: Gentiles are Fellow Heirs
Ephesians 3:4-7, Acts 10:9-23; Acts 1:7-8; Matthew 28:18-20 - All humans have the gift of Grace and eternal life with God if they repent and believe on Jesus.
“By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.”
Ephesians 3:4-7 NASB1995
In the AI image that Steve requested, a representative or elder at the church at Ephesus is reading the letter from Paul to a congregation with both Gentiles and Jews in attendance (he is certainly a husky individual!). He is likely telling them about the mystery of Christ. This mystery, specifically, is that Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
Paul received insight into this mystery in his encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus. Ananias, the believer Paul was to meet in Damascus, also received a revelation from God that Paul was a chosen instrument by which the Gospel would be preached to Gentiles and Kings and Jews. The other apostles and prophets in the Spirit also had the mystery revealed to them. Let’s look back at how Peter describes the revelation that was made to him from Acts 11:
“Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.””
Acts 11:1-18 NASB1995
Even though Peter has this revelation and the other believers are convinced by his story, the Judaizers still tried to have Gentiles accommodate some of the Jewish requirements to be accepted.
Let’s look at the commentary from Enduring Word on this passage:
d. You have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you: The word dispensation speaks of the “implemented strategy” of God’s plan in the church. “Here as in Ephesians 1:10, however, it is to be interpreted rather as the implementation of a strategy.” (Wood)
i. “By the dispensation of the grace of God we may understand, either the apostolic office and gifts granted to St. Paul, for the purpose of preaching the Gospel among the Gentiles… or the knowledge which God gave him of that gracious and Divine plan which he had formed for the conversion of the Gentiles.” (Clarke)
e. How that by revelation: Paul wanted them to know, “I’m not making this up. This isn’t my invention. God gave me the revelation and I am only His messenger of this truth.” It cost Paul a lot to hold on to this mystery, so he probably would not have made it up himself.
i. It is indeed amazing that God would take a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a persecutor of the church to be the main minister of the mystery, the mystery of the work of the gospel in bringing Jew and Gentile together into one new body.
f. He made known to me the mystery: The principle Paul will describe is a mystery, yet it is known. However, it would never be known if God did not make it known.
i. “In English a ‘mystery’ is something dark, obscure, secret, puzzling. What is ‘mysterious’ is inexplicable, even incomprehensible. The Greek word mysterion is different, however. Although still a ‘secret’, it is no longer closely guarded but open… More simply, mysterion is a truth hitherto hidden from human knowledge or understanding but now disclosed by the revelation of God.” (Stott)
g. He made known to me the mystery: Paul did not hesitate to claim that the mystery he will reveal was given to him by revelation. But it was not given to only him by revelation. It was also given specifically to Peter by revelation (Acts 11:1-18), and it is consistent with prophecy in the Old Testament (such as Isaiah 49:6) and the specific words of Jesus (Acts 1:8).
i. However, it seems that God used Paul to declare specifically how Jews and Gentiles would be joined together in one body of Christ. This was something hinted at through others, but only specifically detailed through Paul’s revelation. Paul trusted that his readers would understand what God revealed to him.
h. Was not made known to the sons of men, as it now has been revealed: The nature of the union of Jews and Gentiles into this new body is the aspect that was not made known. In the Old Testament, the salvation of Gentiles in the Messiah is prophesied, the coming together of Jew and Gentile into the Church is never spoken of.
…
a. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body: This describes the mystery itself – that believing Jews and believing Gentiles are joined together into one body of Christ, into one Church, and no longer separated before God as such.
b. Partakers of His promise in Christ: The truth of this mystery means that Gentiles are now full partakers of His promise. This was a privilege no longer reserved only for the believing Jewish person.
c. Through the gospel: This could only happen through the gospel, where all men have an equal standing in Jesus. This is the same gospel Paul is a servant of, because of the gift of grace given to him by the working of God’s power.
i. Paul says he is a minister, but that is a title of service, not exaltation. In classical literature of ancient Greece, the minister (diakonos) “is a table waiter who is always at the bidding of his customers.” (Wood)
A few takeaways:
Paul is given a revelation by God into the implementation of a planned strategy.
Paul wants to reveal this so that the church at Ephesus could understand it. He didn’t make up the plan and didn’t want to keep it a secret.
Paul was the “Pharisee’s Pharisee” and a zealous persecutor of Christians but yet he is given this remarkable insight into the truth from God and tasked with fulfilling it.
All believing people have equal standing in Jesus through the Gospel. The Great Commission was the last task that Jesus gave His disciples:
“He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.””
Acts 1:7-8 NASB1995
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
Matthew 28:18-20 NASB1995
This is an amazing revelation. If Peter had actually listened to Jesus at the time of the ascension, he wouldn’t have needed another prompt (the vision in Acts) to fulfill this great commission, but he did finally listen, especially when he saw how the Holy Spirit fell on the Roman Centurion and his household before they had even been baptized. The conversion of Paul is even more unlikely, but God’s mysterious ways are so wonderful!
Here’s one more story that I thought was quite good, from Precept Austin:
ILLUSTRATION OF WORKING ACCORDING TO HIS POWER - - Before his conversion, John Wesley, who was very religious outwardly, but lacked the inward reality of God’s grace, had a conversation with a poor porter at his college that deeply impressed him. Wesley discovered that the man had only one coat and that he had not had any food that day, but only water. And yet his heart was full of gratitude to God. Wesley said, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon. What else do you thank him for?” “I thank him,” answered the porter, “that He has given me my life and being, and a heart to love Him, and a desire to serve Him.” (In The Inextinguishable Blaze, by A. Skevington Wood [Eerdmans, 1968], p. 100.) That porter knew the reality of God’s saving grace. Like him, we can be joyfully thankful even in our trials if we remember God’s gift of salvation and the gracious privilege of serving Him.
We should pray that everyone gets to share in that grace and privilege and desire to service Him.
My next devotional examines Ephesians 3:8-10 - Paul is chosen to make God’s manifold wisdom known.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank You for the revelation of Your mystery through ministers that You chose like Paul. Help me to be a minister that spreads the Good News to those that I meet. Amen.
Citations and Credits:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 04/18/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 3:4-7.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within Enduring Word commentary:
Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)
Stott, John R.W. God’s New Society, The Message of Ephesians (Downer’s Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1979)
Wood, A. Skevington Ephesians, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1978)