Ephesians 3.6b-Gentile Church Age Believers are Fellow Members of the Body of Christ with Jewish Church Age Believers
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday April 16, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 3:6b-Gentile Church Age Believers are Fellow Members of the Body of Christ with Jewish Church Age Believers
Lesson # 146
Ephesians 3:1 For this reason, I myself, Paul, the prisoner owned by and under the authority of the one and only Christ who is Jesus for the benefit of each and every one of you as a corporate unit, who are Gentiles—2 if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that each and every one of you as a corporate unit have surely heard about the stewardship, which is unique to the grace, which originates from the one and only God, which was given to me for the benefit of all of you as a corporate unit without exception. (Of course, every one of you have in fact heard about it.) 3 Namely that, the mystery was made known for the benefit of myself as revelation as I wrote beforehand in a concise manner. 4 Concerning which, that is, by each one of you making it your habit of hearing read publicly, all of you will for your own benefit become able to comprehend my insight into this incomparable mystery, which is produced by your unique union and identification with Christ. 5 This mystery was by no means made known to members of the human race in previous generations as it has now been revealed through the personal agency of His holy apostles as well as prophets by means of the omnipotence of the Spirit. 6 Namely, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs as well as fellow members of the body likewise fellow partakers of the promise because of justification by faith in and union and identification with Christ Jesus by means of the proclamation of the gospel. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 3:6 is composed of the infinitival appositional clause einai ta ethnē synklēronoma kai syssōma kai symmetocha tēs epangelias (εἶναι τὰ ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα καὶ σύσσωμα καὶ συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας), “Namely, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs as well as fellow members of the body likewise fellow partakers of the promise.” (Author’s translation)
It is modified by two prepositional phrases.
The first is en Christō Iēsou (ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ), “because of justification by faith in and union and identification with Christ Jesus.” (Author’s translation) and the second is dia tou euangeliou (σ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου), “by means of the proclamation of the gospel.” (Author’s translation)
The infinitive conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί) functions as an appositional infinitive, which means that it introduces a clause which defines the content of this mystery.
Namely, that Gentile and Jewish church age believers are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body of Christ, and fellow partakers of the Messianic promise with Jewish church age believers because of their faith in Christ Jesus at justification and union and identification with Him.
Now, let’s return to Ephesians 3:6, in this verse, the adjective syssōmos (σύσσωμος), “fellow members of the body” is also used to describe Gentile church age believers as being fellow or co-members of the body of Christ with Jewish church age believers.
This also came about because they both have been declared justified by the Father because of the merits of their faith, Jesus Christ and simultaneously, placed in union with Christ and identified with Him in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
This too was the result of accepting by faith the proclamation of the gospel whose subject is Jesus Christ and His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
This word also is making the assertion that these Gentile church age believers are “fellow members of the body” of Christ with Jewish church age believers.
The body of Christ metaphor is employed by Paul in Ephesians 1:23.
Ephesians 1:22 In other words, He caused each and every animate and inanimate object to be placed in subjection under His feet. Correspondingly, He gave Him as a gift as head over each and every animate and inanimate object for the benefit of the church, 23 which uniquely is His body, specifically, which is being brought to completion by the one who is bringing each and every animate and inanimate object to completion for the benefit of each and every member. (Lecturer’s translation)
The noun sōma (σῶμα), “body” is used in a figurative sense to describe the church as being like the human body in that it has diversity among its members but yet they possess a unity.
The word refers to church age believers who are joined together as a corporate unit with the implication of each member having a distinctive function within this unit.
The body of Christ metaphor for the church is not only employed by apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:23 but is also used by him in Colossians 1:18 and 24.
Colossians 1:18 Furthermore, He Himself, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the head over His body, namely His church who, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones. The divine purpose was accomplished so that He alone became the Preeminent One among each and every person with no exceptions. (Lecturer’s translation)
Colossians 1:24 I am presently rejoicing because of my sufferings on behalf of each and every one of you. In fact, I am supplementing that which remains of the one and only Christ’s intense sufferings by means of my physical body on behalf of His body which is, as an eternal spiritual truth, the church. (Lecturer’s translation)
In Colossians 1:24, Paul describes his experience during this first Roman imprisonments as “sufferings” which is a reference to undeserved suffering.
He was unjustly arrested in Jerusalem and accused of taking a Gentile into the Jewish section of the temple.
He was not released by the Roman authorities in Judea despite his innocence which prompted Paul to appeal his case to Caesar since he had that right as a Roman citizen.
Amazingly, he tells the Colossians that this undeserved suffering was the reason why he was rejoicing.
This suffering caused him to rejoice because he knew it would benefit the body of Christ, develop more Christ-like character in him and result in rewards at the Bema Seat (cf. James 1:2, 12).
He emphasizes with the Colossians that his imprisonment was for the benefit of each member of this community without exception.
These faithful believers in Colossae benefitted from his undeserved suffering.
Each and every one of these believers benefited from his undeserved suffering he was enduring during his first Roman imprisonment because it provided them all an example to follow when enduring undeserved suffering.
Paul is not saying that Christ’s sufferings were not sufficient to propitiate the Father and redeem all of sinful humanity and reconcile them to a holy God since the rest of Scripture including Paul’s teaching was that Christ’s suffering was sufficient since the context in no way says this or implies it.
Rather the apostle Paul is teaching that his undeserved suffering is supplementing that which remains of Christ’s sufferings since he viewed his suffering as a part of Christ’s sufferings.
He viewed Christ as suffering through his suffering because of his identification with Him.
Christ no longer suffered in His human body which now has been resurrected.
But He does experience suffering through the individual members of the church since He indwells them.
Paul viewed his suffering as helping to complete all the suffering of Jesus Christ which He would experience through His body, the church.
Paul’s suffering was Christ’s suffering and thus he viewed his suffering as helping to complete all that Christ would suffer through His body, the church.
This would encourage the members of the body of Christ in Colossae and throughout the Roman Empire because what was true of Paul would be true of them because they too were identified with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session and it encouraged Paul.
Since Paul is identified with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection and since he is a member of the body of Christ who is the head of the body, Paul considered his sufferings while imprisoned to be that of Jesus Christ’s.
In other words, Paul’s suffering while imprisoned was Jesus Christ’s since Paul is a member of Christ’s body.
So Jesus Christ suffers when one of the members of his body suffers.
The head metaphor to signify the rulership of Jesus Christ over the church is employed by Paul in several places in his writings (Eph. 4:15; 5:23; Col. 2:19).
The body metaphor is employed often by Paul in his writings to describe the church’s intimate and eternal union with Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 6:15; 10:17; 12:12-13, 27; Eph. 1:23; 2:16; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:23, 30; Col. 1:18a; 1:24; 2:19; 3:15).
The head and body metaphor is one of eight metaphors used in the New Testament to describe the relationship between the church and the Lord Jesus Christ: (1) The last Adam and the New Creation (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 5:17a). (2) The Great Shepherd and the Sheep (Heb. 13:20). (3) The True Vine and the Branches (John 15:5a). (4) The Chief Cornerstone and the Stones in the building (Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:5-6). (5) The Great High Priest and members of the Royal Priesthood (Heb. 4:14a; 1 Pet. 2:9a). (6) The Groom and the Bride. (Our wedding occurs at the Second Advent) (Rev. 19:7). (7) The King of Kings and the Royal Family of God (Rev. 19:14-16).