Ephesians 3.7b-Paul's Service for the Gospel was a Gift of God's Grace
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday April 25, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 3:7b-Paul’s Service for the Gospel was a Gift of God’s Grace
Lesson # 150
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. 7 I assumed the position and responsibility of serving this gospel according to the gift originating from the one and only God’s grace, which was given to me according to the activity produced by the exercise of His power. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 3:7 concludes Paul’s description of the content of the mystery, which began in Ephesians 3:1.
It is composed of the relative pronoun clause hou egenēthēn diakonos (οὗ ἐγενήθην διάκονος), “I assumed the position and responsibility of serving this gospel” (Lecturer’s translation).
It is modified by two prepositional phrases.
The first is kata tēn dōrean tēs charitos tou theou (κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ), “according to the gift originating from the one and only God’s grace, which was given to me” (Lecturer’s translation).
The second is kata tēn energeian tēs dynameōs autou (κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ), “according to the activity produced by the exercise of His power” (Lecturer’s translation).
Now, the first prepositional phrase modifies this relative pronoun clause is kata tēn dōrean tēs charitos tou theou (κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ), “according to the gift originating from the one and only God’s grace, which was given to me” (Lecturer’s translation).
It expresses the idea that Paul becoming a servant of the gospel at the moment of justification was “according to” or “corresponding to” or is “in agreement with” the gift, which originates from God the Father’s grace policy towards justified sinners.
The noun dōrea (δωρεά), “gift” is used of the non-meritorious blessing that Paul received at the moment of justification, namely, the gift of apostleship which was given to Paul at the moment of justification by Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-11), who was authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ to do so (Eph. 4:7).
The articular construction of this noun is monadic which indicates that this particular gift is in a class by itself in that it was given exclusively to the apostle Paul and his fellow communicators of the gospel, which would include his fellow apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors.
Therefore, the articular construction of this word indicates that this gift of being a servant of the gospel is unique to those men in the body of Christ who are communicators of the gospel whether they are apostles, prophets, evangelists or pastors.
For the eighth time in this epistle, the apostle Paul employs the noun charis (χάρις), “grace” (cf. 1:2, 6, 7; 2:5, 7, 8; 3:2).
In each instance, the word refers to God the Father’s grace policy towards unregenerate sinners who He declares justified through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and which grace policy manifests His attribute of love.
The articular construction of this word charis (χάρις), “grace” is also monadic, which indicates the “uniqueness” of this grace.
It emphasizes that this grace is “unique” to God the Father in that it is His policy towards sinners who exercise faith in His Son, Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός) refers to the Father which is indicated by the articular construction of the noun, which in the New Testament commonly signifies the Father unless otherwise indicated by the context.
Furthermore, in every instance in which the word has appeared in this epistle up to this point in the Ephesian letter, the Father is this word’s referent (1:1, 2, 3, 17, 2:4, 8, 10, 16, 19 and 22).
The articular construction of the noun theos (θεός) expresses the idea that there were many gods in the world, but the God Jewish and Gentile church age believers worshipped was the one and only true God in contrast to unregenerate humanity in the first century A.D. which worshipped the pantheon of Graeco-Roman gods.
The noun charis (χάρις), “grace” functions as a genitive of apposition or epexegetical genitive, which indicates that it identifies this gift, which is identified as being a servant of the gospel, as an unmerited blessing given to Paul, which originates from God the Father.
The noun theos (θεός) functions as a genitive of source, which expresses the idea that this grace or unmerited blessing in the form of becoming a servant of the gospel that was bestowed upon Paul at justification “originates from” God the Father.
The verb didōmi (δίδωμι) means “to bestow as a gift” since the word pertains in this context to giving someone something which is of great value and as a gift and it speaks of giving someone something as an expression of generosity.
The passive voice of this verb indicates that Paul as the subject received the gift, which originated from the Father’s grace policy, which was in the form of being a servant of the gospel, according to the exercise of the Father’s omnipotence at the moment of justification.
The aorist tense of this verb didōmi (δίδωμι) is a consummative or culminative aorist which emphasizes the cessation of the act of Paul receiving the gift of being a servant of the gospel in accordance with the exertion of the Father’s omnipotence at the moment of his justification.
The participle conjugation of this verb is in the genitive case and functions as a genitive of apposition or epexegetical genitive, which indicates that the participle conjugation of this verb didōmi (δίδωμι) is identifying or describing the noun dōrea (δωρεά), “the gift” as being given to Paul at justification.